The Board has determined that the Veteran's upper back or shoulder disability and bilateral knee disorder were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service. Therefore, these claims for service connection are denied.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the current disabilities to the Veteran's military service.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back or shoulder disability (claimed as pinched nerve), bilateral knee disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2009
- Citation
- 0948989
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 0948989.
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 Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that service connection is granted for fibromyalgia and tinnitus. The remaining claims of service connection for a back disorder, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral hip disorder, and cervical cancer are remanded due to procedural errors.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection related to back, hip, knee, and foot disorders should be remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA examinations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to service or caused by other service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of his claims for service connection for various conditions has been withdrawn by the Veteran. As a result, all these claims are dismissed.
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