The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for lower back strain due to a lack of evidence showing a current disability and no credible evidence linking any symptoms to her period of active duty.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of a low back condition, including pain that causes functional impairment, as evidenced by the absence of complaints or treatment during service and in post-service records.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2024
- Citation
- A24069567
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 chronic fatigue syndrome, benign prostatic hyperplasia, erectile dysfunction, and lower back strain as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or caused by active service.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an earlier effective date and a compensable rating for chronic cough was denied, while the claims for service connection for lower back strain, spinal fusion surgery, L3-4 foraminotomy, L4-5 discectomy, and gout in the right foot were remanded.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for sleep disorder is dismissed, and the Veteran's claims for service connection for alcohol use disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, somatic symptom disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and lower back strain are denied. The Board granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for lower back strain and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from June 25, 2015.
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