The Board found that the veteran's upper back disability, claimed as fibromyositis, is not related to a disease or injury in service and denied her claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: VA examiners concluded that the veteran's current condition does not appear to be related to her in-service upper back injury and did not find any organic cause other than normal age changes in her spine to substantiate her complaints of pain.
- Claimed conditions
- upper back injury, fibromyositis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2006
- Citation
- 0603865
Veterans Law Judge
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0603865.
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 Veteran withdrew his appeal for increased rating claims related to multiple conditions, including herniated nucleus pulposus of the cervical spine, fibromyositis, and various nerve-related issues. The Board dismissed these claims as a result.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, headache, sleep disorder, sore throat, and upper back disability have all been denied as there is no persuasive evidence of current disabilities in any of these conditions.,There are no persuasive medical findings or diagnoses supporting the presence of a current hearing loss, headache, sleep disorder, sore throat, or upper back disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for muscle and joint pain, to include fibromyalgia, due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the March 2024 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a higher disability rating for fibromyositis and lumbar spine, so the case is dismissed.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.