The Board denied service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, DDD of the lumbosacral spine, axonal sensorimotor neuropathy and radiculopathy of the lower extremities, and a right shoulder disability as they were not related to the Veteran's active duty service.
The deciding factor: The lack of complaints immediately following the accident and during the weeks and months that followed suggested that any neck injury that did occur at that time was clinically trivial. The Veteran had other risk factors for the development of DDD, such as advancing age, smoking, and a history of physical activity associated with repetitive stress on the spine over many years in his post-service employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine with associated myelopathy and neuropathy, Axonal sensorimotor neuropathy and radiculopathy of the lower extremities, Right shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2009
- Citation
- 0911177
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 609 · Granted: 22% (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 0911177.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
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