The Veteran's service-connected laceration of the lower lip is not shown to have any characteristic of disfigurement, and therefore a compensable evaluation is denied.,Service connection for left toe injury, TMJ, upper lip scar, loss of teeth, and maxilla disability are remanded due to incomplete records and need for further examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's laceration of the lower lip does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7800.
- Claimed conditions
- Laceration lower lip, Left toe injury, Loss of teeth for other than periodontal disease or other routine dental maladies, Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19101064
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,680 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19101064.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include insomnia and major depressive disorder with anxious distress, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disability. The claim for an earlier effective date for TMJ was denied, as well as a higher initial rating for TMJ. The claims for service connection for left and right shoulder conditions were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including allergic rhinitis, TMJ, cervical strain, and others, to correct a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the April 2024 rating decision on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has not been received to readjudicate the claims for service connection for traumatic brain injury, bilateral knee condition, back condition, irritable bowel syndrome, and temporomandibular joint syndrome. The claim of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome is granted. The remaining claims are remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further consideration, including a determination on whether the Veteran was unemployable due to service-connected disabilities from March 6, 2015, to June 20, 2016.
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