The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, CTS of the Right Upper Extremity, and CTS of the Left Upper Extremity. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not found to be related to his active duty service.,Service connection was also denied for a left knee disability and right knee strain. The Board found that there is no evidence of any chronic conditions or symptoms during service or within one year post-service, and the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis for these disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's low back disability was less likely than not incurred in or caused by his active duty service. The Board found that the Veteran worked as a house mover which could be a more plausible cause of his current back problems.,There is no evidence of CTS during service, and post-service records do not document any complaints or treatment related to CTS. The Board also noted that there was no underlying disability diagnosed.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability (degenerative arthritis), CTS of the Right Upper Extremity, CTS of the Left Upper Extremity, Left knee disability, Right knee disability (right knee strain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- A19001777
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.
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- Partly granted
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability and PTSD, remanded several claims including those for a left knee disability, right shoulder disability, hypertension, craniomandibular disorder, and a compensable rating for residuals of a right femur fracture.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for various disabilities and granted earlier effective dates for service connection of scars, but denied an earlier effective date for individual unemployability.
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