The veteran is seeking service connection for jaw pain as a result of an in-service bilateral osteotomy due to malocclusion. The RO denied the claim, and the Board notes that a VA medical examination should be provided to determine whether it is at least as likely as not that his current disability, including trigeminal neuralgia, is related to his in-service osteotomy.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service records show an in-service bilateral osteotomy for malocclusion. The claim is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if there is a nexus between the in-service surgery and current trigeminal neuralgia.
- Claimed conditions
- post-operative bilateral osteotomy due to malocclusion, trigeminal neuralgia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2006
- Citation
- 0614334
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 0614334.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted initial ratings of 30 percent for trigeminal neuralgia and 40 percent for both left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied an increased rating for contact dermatitis. An earlier effective date was also granted for the right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal for further development, including obtaining relevant private treatment records and reexamining service-connected residuals of TBI.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a headache disability to include trigeminal neuralgia; temple headaches; non intractable headaches, unspecified chronicity pattern; unspecified headache type; migraines; and temporal arteritis as further development is required.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for trigeminal neuralgia, resolving the benefit of the doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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