The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his right and left wrist fractures (claimed as rheumatoid arthritis) and service connection for a low back disability. The denial was based on insufficient evidence to support the claims.
The deciding factor: The July 2008 VA examination did not provide sufficient rationale or evidence to support its conclusion that the Veteran's current chronic low back strain is less likely caused by his service, as it relied on inaccurate findings regarding pre-service spondylolisthesis and a lack of documentation of an ongoing disability during service.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2012
- Citation
- 1203818
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 1203818.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims of right shoulder disability and low back disability due to insufficient evidence.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
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