The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for osteoporosis, an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD, and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for hiatal hernia. The veteran's conditions were found to be not related to his military service or service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the veteran's osteoporosis was likely due to his smoking history, age, and lack of exercise rather than his service-connected low back disability. For PTSD, the examiner noted that the symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as they were within the range considered 'occasional decrease in work efficiency' and 'intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.' The hiatal hernia was found to be productive of recurrent epigastric distress without significant complications.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoporosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), hiatal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 25, 2005
- Citation
- 0523413
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 0523413.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate development of her exposure history and lack of adequate medical opinions. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU rating is granted with an effective date of March 15, 2017.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted for the claim of entitlement to TDIU, which is being remanded. The issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is also being remanded due to conflicting medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for depression, other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder with alcohol use disorder, severe, and PTSD due to inadequate medical opinions provided by VA examiners.
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