The Board has granted service connection for hyposmia (reduced sense of smell) and hypogeusia (reduced sense of taste), finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's exposure to burn pits during his active duty in Iraq.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found medical nexus between the Veteran’s symptoms of reduced sense of smell and taste, which have persisted since service, and his exposure to burn pits while stationed in Iraq.
- Claimed conditions
- hyposmia, hypogeusia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19119839
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19119839.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Denied
The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, jaundice, hypogeusia, and hyposmia as there was no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for right hip, right knee, right ankle, hyposmia, and GERD disabilities to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for hyposmia, finding that the evidence was in approximate balance and resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection due to untimely filing of the appeal requests.
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