The Board finds that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of TMJ dysfunction or pathologic condition and her bruxism is considered a developmental defect. Therefore, service connection for developmental bruxism and TMJ pain is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing current TMJ dysfunction or pathologic condition in the record.
- Claimed conditions
- Developmental bruxism, TMJ pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2002
- Citation
- 0210961
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 0210961.
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 the restoration of a 30 percent rating for TMJ pain and granted eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) from May 1, 2021. However, it denied increased ratings for fibromyalgia, persistent depressive disorder with anxiety disorder, bronchial asthma, shin splints, and wrist neurological symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development and evaluation of the Veteran's service-connected external otitis, including determining its extent and severity, attributing symptoms to the condition, and assessing whether other diagnoses are proximately caused or aggravated by it. The claim will be referred to the Director of Compensation if extraschedular consideration is warranted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for TMJ pain, constipation, and headaches was granted with effective dates of November 19, 2013, February 13, 2015, respectively.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for kidney disorder, benign prostatic hypertrophy, TMJ pain, left hip disability, and low back disability due to a lack of medical evidence showing current disabilities related to these conditions.
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