The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current shoulder, wrist, and lumbar spine conditions to his military service. The absence of medical records from service is not considered a fault of the veteran.
The deciding factor: There was no competent evidence showing that arthritis or any other disability of the lumbar spine, either shoulder, or wrists were incurred in or aggravated by active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Arthritis of Right Shoulder, Degenerative Arthritis of Left Shoulder, Degenerative Arthritis of Both Wrists, Degenerative Arthritis of Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 18, 2006
- Citation
- 0625627
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left shoulder disability was denied. He is currently rated at 20 percent for recurrent dislocation and limited motion of the left shoulder.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected left shoulder disability is granted, and a compensable rating for the surgical scar is also granted. The issue of TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left shoulder disability was denied, as the evidence did not show limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side. For his degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, he received a temporary total rating based on convalescence and then a permanent 40 percent rating effective March 17, 2010.
- Granted
The reduction in disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine from 40 percent to 10 percent was improper and restored the original 40 percent rating. The increased disability rating claim for the same condition was denied.
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