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Denied

The Board has denied service connection for the claimed conditions, finding that they are not related to active duty service or any period of ACDUTRA/INACDUTRA service. The appellant's claims are based on secondary service connection due to a non-service-connected condition (Lyme disease), but the evidence does not support this claim.

The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence that the claimed conditions were incurred during active duty or any period of ACDUTRA/INACDUTRA service, and thus cannot be considered secondary to a service-connected disability.

Claimed conditions
Lyme disease, anemia, chronic kidney disease, supraventricular arrhythmia and severe concentric left ventricular hypertrophy with cardiac dilation (cardiac disorder), right hand swan neck deformity with degenerative arthritis (right hand disorder), left hand swan neck deformity with degenerative arthritis (left hand disorder), right hip osteoarthritis, left hip osteoarthritis, right wrist degenerative arthritis, left wrist degenerative arthritis
How they argued it
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
March 18, 2026
Citation
A26024681

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 A26024681.

What this means for you

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