The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to an increased evaluation for his back condition and service connection for a right shoulder condition. The evidence did not support the presence of current disabilities or establish that any injuries occurred in service.
The deciding factor: There was no credible evidence showing the veteran had a current right shoulder disability, nor could it be connected to service due to lack of medical records indicating such an injury and inconsistencies with his own statements regarding the alleged enemy attack. The Board found the lay statements from service personnel unreliable and did not find any competent medical evidence linking the right shoulder condition to service.
- Claimed conditions
- herniated nucleus pulposus at L4-5 with minimal degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, right shoulder condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2006
- Citation
- 0606453
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0606453.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for treatment purposes only under Chapter 17 for various conditions, including cervical spine condition, right upper extremity nerve condition, left upper extremity nerve condition, headache condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral pes planus, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left knee disorder.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability for any of the claimed conditions, and thus service connection cannot be granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders, chronic fatigue, congestive heart failure, DM II, hypertension, and a right shoulder condition. The Veteran's claims were based on presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
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