The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability, dental condition (treatable carious teeth), and PTSD. The denial is based on lack of new and material evidence for the low back disability claim and because the Veteran does not have a compensable dental disability or a compensable rating for his right wrist scar.
The deciding factor: The Board found that no new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the service connection claim for a low back disability. The Veteran's current low back disability was not linked to active service, and there is no indication of bone loss from previous dental treatment. For the dental condition claim, the Veteran does not have a compensable disability as defined by VA regulations. For the right wrist scar, the Veteran has a superficial scar without any disabling effects.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Disability, Dental Condition (treatable carious teeth), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2016
- Citation
- 1602993
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 1602993.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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