The Veteran's claims for service connection for jaw and bilateral arm disorders, as well as the attempts to reopen claims for headaches, ear disorder, left knee and leg disorder, right knee and leg disorder were denied. The ratings for major depressive disorder and low back disability were also not increased.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of service connection or an increase in rating due to the lack of current diagnoses and insufficient evidence linking the claimed conditions to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- jaw disorder, bilateral arm disorder, headaches, ear disorder, left knee and leg disorder, right knee and leg disorder, major depressive disorder, low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2009
- Citation
- 0907799
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.
- Dismissed
The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for major depressive disorder is dismissed as moot because the earliest effective date was granted during the pendency of this appeal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
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