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Denied

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 VA examiner found that the current disabilities are less likely than not related to service. The Veteran’s lay reports regarding the August 1972 motor vehicle accident were considered, but the VA examiner noted no evidence of injury in these joints during the accident.,There is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure in Thailand as defined by VA regulations.

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

Veterans Law Judge

M. HYLAND

Decisions by this judge: 1,863 · Granted: 26% (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 19129960.

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