The Veteran's claim for service connection for tennis elbow, lateral epicondylitis of the right arm is denied as there is no current diagnosed disability.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable (greater than 0) disability rating for asthma is denied due to lack of required medical criteria being met.,The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating for cervical strain in excess of 10 percent is denied based on the range of motion results not meeting higher ratings.,The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating for thoracic strain in excess of 10 percent is denied due to lack of required medical criteria being met.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosed right elbow condition as the Veteran has denied issues with his joints and had normal joint assessments.,The Veteran's asthma does not meet the required FEV-1 or FEV-1/FVC percentages for a compensable rating, nor does he require inhalation medication, oral bronchodilators, physician visits, or corticosteroids.,The Veteran's cervical spine range of motion is 35 degrees forward flexion and 260 combined ROM total, which most nearly approximates the criteria for a 10 percent rating. The next highest rating requires greater than 15 but less than 30 degrees of forward flexion.,The Veteran's thoracic spine range of motion is 70 degrees forward flexion and 15 combined ROM total, which does not meet higher ratings as it is less than the required 60 degrees for a 20 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- tennis elbow, lateral epicondylitis of the right arm, asthma, cervical strain, thoracic strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26018981
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A26018981.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of sleep apnea and asthma due to a failure to provide proper notice for a hearing.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to August 14, 2023.
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