The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for gum disease, as there is no current disability and the condition is not recognized by applicable regulations as a disability for which VA compensation may be granted.
The deciding factor: There was no active gum disease at the moment, and periodontal disease is considered service-connected solely for purposes of establishing eligibility for outpatient dental treatment, not for compensation benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- gum disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2008
- Citation
- 0815160
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 remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for tooth decay and gum disease due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error regarding proper notification for an examination.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder condition, bilateral toenail fungus and athlete's foot, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and furuncle incision and drainage healed scar (claimed as cyst removal on buttocks with scar), but denied an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for sleep apnea with asthma associated with allergic rhinitis. The claims for service connection for prostate cancer and gum disease were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a dental disability for compensation purposes and remanded the claims for service connection for a dental disability for treatment purposes and gum disease.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of the previously denied claim for service connection for a dental disability, for compensation purposes, to include gum disease, based on new and relevant evidence. The issue is being remanded for further development.
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