The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including the right and left hip, ankle, and flatfoot conditions due to insufficient evidence of current disability. The claims for shoulder strain, neck, back, and neurological conditions were remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: Insufficient evidence was provided to establish the presence of a current disability for the claimed conditions, and there was no documentation supporting the in-service injury or event that could be linked to the current condition. For the remanded claims, additional evidence is needed due to conceded toxic exposures.
- Claimed conditions
- right hip disability, left hip disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, bilateral flatfoot, right shoulder strain, left shoulder strain, neck disability, back disability, right upper extremity neurological disability (claimed as right arm nerve damage), right lower extremity neurological disability (claimed as sciatica), left lower extremity neurological disability (claimed as sciatica)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25051055
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 Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee, right hip, and lumbar spine disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability but denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for his left knee disability prior to April 25, 2019.
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