The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a left shoulder injury, frostbite to the fingers of both hands, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, and surgery to the toes are denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The veteran's in-service complaints were acute and transitory, with complete resolution. There is no competent medical opinion linking current diagnoses to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of a Left Shoulder Injury, Frostbite to the Fingers of Both Hands, Degenerative Disc Disease of the Lumbosacral Spine, Residuals of Surgery to the Toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 3, 2004
- Citation
- 0421173
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0421173.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, left sciatic radicular pain, and headaches. It also granted an initial rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a rating of 30 percent for lipoma of the skin on the back of the head. The claims for increased ratings for right knee strain with shin splints and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome were denied, as was the claim for an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was not productive of forward flexion to 30 degrees or less, and thus a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to January 19, 2011. The evidence does not substantiate a reasonable possibility that he is unemployable by reason of his service-connected conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for left knee and right knee conditions, as well as an increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine. The claims were based on direct evidence rather than a presumption or secondary service connection.
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