The Board denied service connection for chronic low back pain and remanded the claims for left and right hand injuries due to a lack of evidence supporting their service connection.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's chronic low back pain was not shown to be caused by an event, injury, or illness during active service. For the hands, the Board found that there were duty-to-assist errors that occurred prior to the January 2024 rating decision and required a remand for a TERA medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic low back pain, left Dupuytren's contracture (left hand), right Dupuytren's contracture (right hand)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25057714
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for chronic low back pain, upper back pain, right hand disability, left hand disability, headaches, and right knee disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including various musculoskeletal conditions and mental health disorders.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the claims for other conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for chronic back pain, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and a left knee disability secondary to the service-connected right knee patellofemoral syndrome.
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