The Board has denied service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, low back, left hip, right hip, and right knee disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The Veteran's current disabilities are not considered the result of an August 1972 motor vehicle accident.,Service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus has also been denied as there is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure in Thailand during the Veteran's period of active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the current disabilities are not linked to service due to lack of medical evidence showing a nexus between the claimed conditions and service. The Veteran’s lay reports regarding an August 1972 motor vehicle accident were considered, but deemed insufficient to establish service connection.,There is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure in Thailand during the Veteran's period of active duty, as his claims are based on commercial rather than tactical herbicides used at airbases. The Board found that there was not sufficient evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Low Back Disability, Left Hip Disability, Right Hip Disability, Left Knee Disability, Right Knee Disability, Hypertension, Coronary Artery Disease, Diabetes Mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19129960
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.
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The Board granted a 70% rating for PTSD from November 25, 2015 to August 12, 2024 and a 40% rating for the right shoulder disability. It also granted 10% ratings for both feet and 20% ratings for knee patellofemoral pain syndromes.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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