The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions, such as tension headaches and tinnitus, were incurred during his military service.
The deciding factor: Service connection is granted when there is a preponderance of the evidence showing that the condition was incurred during active duty. The Board found no clear indication that any of the claimed conditions are not related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Memory loss (neuropsychological symptoms), Tension headaches, Fatigue, Tinnitus, Sleep disorder (sleep apnea), Lung disorder (restrictive lung disease, shortness of breath), Disability manifested by numbness in the arms and hands, Muscle pain, Joint pain, Skin disorder (hidradenitis suppurativa), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1645999
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 1645999.
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: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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