The Board denied service connection for a loss of the sense of smell and chronic tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner could not find any evidence linking the veteran's current anosmia or tinnitus to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of the sense of smell, chronic tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2003
- Citation
- 0316185
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 0316185.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for various conditions, including loss of the sense of smell, urinary problems, erectile dysfunction, and Parkinson's disease, among others.
- Partly granted
The veteran's service connection for hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and related conditions was granted. Service connection for cataracts was denied, and issues regarding dry mouth and teeth removal were remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for chronic tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus is related to her military service despite conflicting reports from her VA and private physicians. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to insufficient medical opinions and need for updated VA treatment records.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.