The Board denied service connection for the residuals of a septoplasty, allergic rhinitis with sinusitis, low back pain, headaches, and cervical spine pain. The veteran's preexisting conditions were not aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The veteran's preexisting conditions did not increase in severity during her period of active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- deviated nasal septum, allergic rhinitis with sinusitis, low back pain, headaches, cervical spine pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2002
- Citation
- 0202873
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0202873.
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 granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for somatic symptom disorder, respiratory disorders (including COPD), nephrolithiasis, deviated nasal septum, and higher initial disability ratings for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress and GERD, hiatal hernia, reflux esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased initial disability evaluation of headaches due to an inadequate VA examination.
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