The Veteran's claims for service connection for a sinus disorder and back disorder were denied. The Board found no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that resulted in these conditions, and the pre-existing conditions did not increase in severity during service. For PTSD, the claim was remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the occurrence of the alleged stressor.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claimed stressors for PTSD were not verified as they occurred outside of combat zones, requiring corroborative evidence from other sources such as records from VA or military personnel.
- Claimed conditions
- Sinus Disorder, Back Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2009
- Citation
- 0948181
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 0948181.
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 has decided to remand the case due to errors in obtaining medical records and for an additional medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's back disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension is granted service connection, but his right ear hearing loss and back disorder claims are remanded for further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions, particularly regarding his shoulder disorders and nasal surgeries. The claims for service connection have been remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for a back disorder as new and relevant evidence was not received, despite previous denials.
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