The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Staph aureus infection residuals and Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine, finding no evidence of a current disability related to his in-service Staph aureus infection.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence establishing that the veteran currently has any residuals of an in-service Staph aureus infection or degenerative disc disease. The Board concluded that service connection cannot be granted as there is no established link between the veteran's current conditions and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Staph aureus infection residuals, Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2008
- Citation
- 0800852
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 0800852.
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: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance, leading to the grant of special monthly compensation (SMC) at the L-rate.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for staph infection residuals as a result of VA medical treatment, including heart surgery in January 1996, finding that there was no evidence of an additional disability caused by VA care.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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