The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative joint disease, bilateral shoulder impingement, carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist, poor circulation of the bilateral lower extremities, and bilateral foot pain are not related to his period of service.,Service connection for these conditions is denied.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that any of the Veteran's claimed disabilities had their onset in or were otherwise caused by his military service. The VA examiners found no link between the Veteran’s current diagnoses and his period of active duty, with some attributing them to post-service factors such as obesity, hypertension, and prior injuries.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative joint disease, bilateral shoulder impingement, carpal tunnel syndrome, right wrist, poor circulation of bilateral lower extremities, bilateral foot pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20021583
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 20021583.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for neck pain pinched nerve severe arthritis cervical spine is dismissed as a matter of law. Service connection and increased ratings are granted for major depression, mental disorder anxiety and PTSD, carpal tunnel syndrome (both wrists), and migraine including migraine variants.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing records and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims will be readjudicated after obtaining any necessary records.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral foot pain, right knee pain and weakness, and left knee pain and weakness are granted as service-connected.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a temporary total rating based on hospitalization or convalescence due to his service-connected cervical spine disability is remanded as the record does not include post-surgical follow-up treatment records from the University of Virginia Hospital.
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