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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied an increased rating for a dental injury as a result of facial surgery, finding that the veteran's condition did not warrant a higher than 50 percent disability rating. The claim for service connection for other residuals of facial surgery, including scarring from a bone graft, is also pending and requires further examination and opinion.

The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show loss of more than half of the maxilla that is not replaceable by prosthesis, which would warrant a higher rating under Diagnostic Codes 9914 or 9915. The maximum ratings for other diagnostic codes are already met due to the veteran's existing disability.

Claimed conditions
dental injury as a result of facial surgery
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
June 17, 2008
Citation
0819731

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 0819731.

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.

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