The Board denied the veteran's service connection claims for ankylosis and arthritis, secondary to a gunshot wound to the right second toe; a left foot condition; and degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence indicating that any of these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service, and pre-existing conditions were not aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- Ankylosis and arthritis, secondary to a gunshot wound to the right second toe, Left foot condition, Degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0902715
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,020 · Granted: 19% (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 0902715.
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 headache disability is granted as service-connected. The left foot condition and lung cancer claims are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examiner's opinion regarding service connection for degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine is incomplete and requires further clarification. The case is being remanded to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's current condition is related to his military service, including two claimed inservice collision injuries.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for left foot condition due to insufficient development and consideration. The heart condition claim is denied as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure in Thailand, and the current heart conditions are not related to service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical spine disability, finding that there is no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active service and no causal relationship between the current disability and any service-connected conditions.
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