The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not incurred in line of duty due to his own willful misconduct, and thus cannot be granted service connection for any of the claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran was intoxicated at the time of an in-service motorcycle accident which resulted in injuries. The U.S. Navy determined this was a result of his misconduct, and VA concurred with this determination.
- Claimed conditions
- left hip disability, right elbow disability, right shoulder disability, bilateral hand disability, neck disability, low back disability, rib disability, bilateral ear disability (including broken bones, scars, hearing loss, and tinnitus), disability manifested by loss of smell, disability manifested by loss of taste, sleep disability, cardiac disability, tongue disability, head scar, left shoulder scar, lower lip scar, right nostril scar, cranial disability (including brain trauma), right arm disability, acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD), dental disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18136961
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 18136961.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for residuals of gallbladder removal and remanded the other claims due to insufficient evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
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