The Veteran's TMJ disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and arthritis may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against finding a service connection for TMJ.
The deciding factor: No medical evidence shows a nexus between the Veteran's current TMJ disability and his period of service, including no STRs showing any TMJ issues or treatment related to TMJ during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2018
- Citation
- 1807116
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1807116.
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: Granted
The Veteran's claim for SMC is granted, effective February 1, 2021. The decision is based on the combination of his service-connected PTSD and other disabilities that independently rate at least 60 percent.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, while denying service connection for hypertension, a left arm disability, a left lower extremity neurological disability, a right lower extremity neurological disability, and left knee pain. The Board also granted ratings of 70%, 10%, and 30% for posttraumatic stress disorder with unspecified depressive disorder, dry eye syndrome, and gastroesophageal reflux disease with irritable bowel syndrome, respectively.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD, granted a TDIU from December 3, 2020, and denied service connection for various conditions.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD, granted a TDIU from December 3, 2020, and denied service connection for various conditions.
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