The Board has denied service connection for a dental disability characterized by the loss of all teeth and for chronic diarrhea. The veteran was not granted service connection as his teeth were either missing or non-restorable upon entry into active duty, and he did not file a timely claim for one-time corrective dental treatment.
The deciding factor: The veteran's teeth were either missing or non-restorable at the time of enlistment, making him ineligible for service connection even for purposes of receiving VA outpatient dental treatment. The veteran also failed to meet the eligibility criteria for VA outpatient dental treatment due to not filing a timely claim within one year of discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of all teeth, chronic diarrhea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2008
- Citation
- 0809560
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 0809560.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for chronic diarrhea, service connection for diverticulitis, and service connection for a respiratory system disability to include restrictive lung disease and sleep apnea syndrome have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tension headaches and chronic diarrhea, finding that the Veteran's conditions are at least as likely as not related to his active military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's chronic diarrhea is granted service connection. The Veteran's migraines are remanded for further review.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a chronic gastrointestinal disorder, including chronic diarrhea and IBS, due to an inadequate VA medical opinion. The Veteran's claims are being returned for further development.
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