The Board granted service connection for the disabilities and assigned specific ratings. The TMJ dysfunction received a 30 percent rating effective from January 6, 2004. The facial scars were rated as 30 percent disabling since the grant of service connection.
The deciding factor: The veteran's TMJ dysfunction was found to have significant pain limiting his inter-incisal range, warranting a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction, Facial scarring below the right lower lip and under the chin, Residual paresthesia of the right lower lip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 13, 2005
- Citation
- 0501040
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 425 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0501040.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted service connection for temporomandibular joint dysfunction and headaches, with the Board finding that these conditions are related to his period of active military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected temporomandibular joint dysfunction is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board has granted a 50 percent rating, the maximum available under Diagnostic Code 9905.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further examinations and consideration of service connection claims due to lack of recent evaluations.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of August 19, 2019, for his TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not show that he was unemployable prior to this date.
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.