The Board has determined that there is no relationship between the Veteran's current chest pain and his service, as evidenced by a VA examination which found the symptoms to be consistent with costochondritis rather than muscle strain. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding in favor of service connection.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners were against a relationship between current chest pain and service due to differences in symptom presentation, location, and the absence of chronicity since service.
- Claimed conditions
- chest pain, costochondritis/costosternitis, left pectoral muscle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1643469
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 1643469.
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.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to posttraumatic headache, insomnia, left ankle condition, lumbosacral strain (lower back), and chest pain. The appeal was dismissed as the Veteran requested withdrawal of these claims.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for TBI, back strain, chest pain, foot pain, and tendonitis as there is no evidence of disease or injury incurred during active duty or training.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of chest pain, ear condition, vaginosis, syncope, thyroid condition, and jaw condition have been dismissed due to non-jurisdictional procedural defects. The Board has also remanded the claims for service connection on the issues of occipital neuralgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for lymph node swelling and chest pain due to a lack of current disability evidence. The case is remanded to obtain private medical records related to the Veteran's claimed conditions.
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