The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against a grant of service connection for frostbite of the feet and bilateral shoulder disorder, as there are no chronic or progressive symptoms documented in the claims file. The April 2012 VA examination report did not provide an opinion on whether these conditions were related to active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner noted that the Veteran does not have chronic, progressive complaints of bilateral foot condition and shoulder disorder in the claims file, which is inconsistent with his reported history of symptoms since service. The examiner also opined that the current conditions are less likely caused by any incident during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Frostbite of the Feet, Bilateral Shoulder Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2013
- Citation
- 1302566
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1302566.
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 granted earlier effective dates of February 1, 2021, for the awards of service connection and secondary service connection for various disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including TBI, migraine headache disorder, bilateral shoulder disorder, and others, as the evidence did not support a finding of current disability or nexus to service.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for PTSD and denied service connection for various disorders, while granting a 50% rating from June 5, 2017.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to determine if the Veteran's right knee and bilateral shoulder disorders are related to herbicide agent exposure or military duties during service.
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