The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including those related to Agent Orange exposure, were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability in many of the claimed conditions and did not find a link between any condition and active military service or Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish service connection for most of the Veteran's claims related to Agent Orange exposure, as well as other conditions. The denial is based on lack of current disability in many cases and inability to link these conditions to service or Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disorder, Neck disorder, Bilateral leg disorder (other than neurological disability of bilateral lower extremities), Bilateral knee disorder, Right hip disorder, Left hip disorder, Bilateral arm disorder (other than neurological disability of bilateral upper extremities), Bilateral shoulder disorder, Neurological disorder of bilateral upper extremities, Headache disorder, Skin disorder, Allergic rhinitis, Respiratory disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1751799
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 1751799.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and remands the case for further development. The Veteran contends his allergic rhinitis began during service, but VA medical opinions have found no link between his current condition and service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to February 5, 2024, for a 10 percent evaluation of allergic rhinitis was denied. The Veteran also appealed for a higher rating for his allergic rhinitis and this was denied as well.,The Veteran's PTSD with TBI claim is remanded due to inadequate medical examinations.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for GERD and allergic rhinitis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD, as there is no documented history of recurrent esophageal stricture causing dysphagia requiring daily medications or dilatation more than once per year. For allergic rhinitis, the Veteran's symptoms were not severe enough to warrant a compensable rating due to lack of polyps and obstruction.
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