The Board found that there was no evidence linking the veteran's current bilateral shoulder disability to his service, and denied the claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The probative medical evidence did not create a nexus between the veteran's current bilateral shoulder disability and his service. The veteran had not received treatment for this condition until over twenty-five years after service, and the VA examiner concluded that the veteran's bilateral shoulder condition was more likely due to age, ethnicity, chronic obesity, chronic deconditioning, and comorbidities.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the shoulders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2008
- Citation
- 0811110
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,011 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0811110.
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 Board denied service connection for musculoskeletal pain and arthritis of the feet, shoulders, knees, and neck based on a lack of objective evidence within one year of separation from service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The nerve damage, arthritis of the cervical spine, and arthritis of the shoulders claims are remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the spine, back spasms, shoulder arthritis, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities. The claims are being remanded to further develop evidence related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including kidney cancer, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and arthritis of multiple joints. The claims are being reviewed to determine if there is evidence of exposure to herbicide agents or other contaminants during service in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.