The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including residuals of injuries to the ankles and feet, a skin disorder affecting the arms and back, a low back injury, and residuals of an injury to the left Achilles tendon, as there was no evidence of these conditions during service or sufficient evidence linking them to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's current skin disorders were not related to his in-service fungal infections, and his low back condition was not shown until many years after discharge with no evidence of a chronic disability during service or continuity of symptoms thereafter.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of injuries to the ankles, Residuals of injuries to the feet, Skin disorder of the feet, Skin disorder affecting the arms and back, Low back injury, Residuals of an injury to the left Achilles tendon
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0904366
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 low back injury, groin injury, arthritis (claimed as rib cage injury), and left side nerve damage (claimed as side injury) due to a lack of evidence supporting the claims.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a low back injury and secondary service connection for a low back disability, as well as a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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