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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for a right shoulder disability and remanded the case for further action on heart disability. The decision regarding right shoulder disability is that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including low back, left hip, right hip, left shoulder, and right shoulder disabilities. The VA examinations did not provide adequate opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder disability as secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability, finding that the evidence is in equipoise and granting secondary service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations regarding his claimed knee, shoulder, and back disabilities. The Board finds that a VA examination should be conducted to determine the nature and etiology of any bilateral knee, shoulder, or back disabilities.
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.