The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left elbow disability, right shoulder disability, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome as there was no evidence to support that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence relating the current disabilities to the Veteran's period of active duty service. The Board found that the Veteran did not experience an in-service injury or disease, and there are no post-service symptoms connecting the claimed disabilities to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left elbow disability (osteoarthritis and residuals of a shrapnel injury), Right shoulder disability, Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine, Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), claimed as a bilateral hand condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0908728
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 the Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for right and left shoulder disabilities, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability and PTSD, remanded several claims including those for a left knee disability, right shoulder disability, hypertension, craniomandibular disorder, and a compensable rating for residuals of a right femur fracture.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA's obligation to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration.
- Dismissed
The appeals for increased ratings and service connection were withdrawn by the veteran's authorized representative.
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.