The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,The Veteran's claim for a tongue/salivary gland disorder is denied due to lack of a causal link between service and the condition.,The Veteran's claim for a cervical spine disorder is remanded as the VA examination report did not provide an opinion on whether his current muscle tension is related to complaints in service.,The Veteran's claims for respiratory disorders (bronchitis and sinusitis) are remanded due to inadequate examination, including failure to consider the Veteran’s history of symptoms since service.,The Veteran's claim for a stomach disorder is remanded as there is no evidence of a current disability or a causal link between service and the condition.,The Veteran's claim for a headache disorder is remanded due to inadequate examination, including failure to provide an opinion on whether his headaches are related to complaints in service or a preexisting disorder that was aggravated by service.,The Veteran's claim for hypertension is remanded as there is no evidence of its onset during service or a causal link between service and the condition.

The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder, and the VA examination report did not provide sufficient information to determine if the Veteran’s current muscle tension is related to complaints in service.,The Veteran's symptoms have been evaluated but no definite diagnosis has been made. The pain was thought unlikely to be a tumor or sialoadenitis, and there is no evidence of a causal link between service and his tongue/salivary gland disorder.,The VA examination report did not provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's current cervical spine disorder had its onset during service or is otherwise related to service. The examiner only considered muscle tension in the neck without considering other potential causes.,The respiratory disorders (bronchitis and sinusitis) were inadequately examined as they were not clearly and unmistakably preexisting, and there was no opinion on whether the Veteran's current symptoms are related to service or a preexisting disorder that was aggravated by service. The examination report did not consider the Veteran’s history of symptoms since service.,The stomach disorder claim is remanded due to lack of evidence of a current disability or causal link between service and the condition, as evidenced by the absence of any diagnosis in service records and the Veteran's testimony indicating he has had ongoing symptoms after service.,The headache disorder claim is remanded due to inadequate examination, including failure to provide an opinion on whether his headaches are related to complaints in service or a preexisting disorder that was aggravated by service. The examiner only considered self-treatment with over-the-counter pain medication without considering the Veteran's history of symptoms since service.,The hypertension claim is remanded as there is no evidence of its onset during service or a causal link between service and the condition, despite the possibility of exposure to gasoline fumes while in service.

Claimed conditions

Acquired psychiatric disorder, Tongue/salivary gland disorder, Cervical spine disorder, Respiratory disorder (bronchitis and sinusitis), Stomach disorder, Headache disorder, Hypertension

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

October 9, 2018

Citation

18141130

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 18141130.