The Board found that the Veteran's degenerative changes of the cervical spine and right shoulder were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred in or aggravated by service. The evidence did not show a compensable degree of arthritis within one year after separation from service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish that the Veteran's degenerative changes of the cervical spine and right shoulder were caused by his military service, nor can they be presumed to have been incurred in or aggravated by service. The Veteran's current conditions are more likely related to post-service activities and do not meet the criteria for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative changes of the cervical spine, Degenerative changes of the right shoulder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2010
- Citation
- 1025726
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 1025726.
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 service connection for a cervical spine disability as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to active duty, ADT, or IDT.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion regarding whether these conditions are at least as likely as not aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected neck disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's degenerative disc disease at L4-5 and L5-S1, right shoulder condition, right elbow conditions, left knee osteoarthritis with meniscal tear, postmenopausal acne, and surgical scars of the lower back and right elbow. However, a 60 percent rating was granted for hypothyroidism prior to July 8, 2024, and TDIU from July 30, 2013.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative changes of the cervical spine and migraines (claimed as headaches) as secondary to a degenerative change in the cervical spine.
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