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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including ankle pain, chronic lower back pain, GERD, hair thinning/loss, IBS, and others, as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis.

The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence demonstrating the Veteran has any of the claimed disabilities during or after active service.

Claimed conditions
Ankle pain, Chronic lower back pain, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Hair thinning/loss, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Left hand and finger pain/numbness, Right hand and finger pain/numbness, Left hip pain, Right hip pain, Left shoulder pain, Right shoulder pain, Right knee pain, Migraine headaches, Pelvic pain, Residuals of an inhalation injury, also claimed as sinusitis, Bilateral shin splints, Vertigo, Scars on hands
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
October 1, 2025
Citation
A25084608

Veterans Law Judge

MATTHEW W. BLACKWELDER

Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25084608.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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