The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and other issues, finding no clear and unmistakable error in a June 1968 rating decision denying his claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of burns to the arms and legs.
The deciding factor: The RO denied the veteran's claim based on his failure to report for a scheduled examination, which was consistent with the evidence at that time and the applicable regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- 9th cranial nerve damage, 7th cranial nerve damage, loss of the sense of smell, acquired psychiatric disorder other than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dental disorder to include bone damage and loss of teeth, partial loss of the sense of taste, damage to the 12th cranial nerve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2006
- Citation
- 0607978
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0607978.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for loss of the sense of smell, taste, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and muscle atrophy are denied as there is no competent and probative evidence establishing a relationship to service or a service-connected disability.,Service connection for coronary artery disease and pain disorder affecting the entire body with psychological factors is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's alleged exposure to Agent Orange.
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