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Denied

The Veteran's TMJ repair with degenerative joint disease resulted in a 25 mm inter-incisal distance, requiring dietary restrictions to soft and semi-solid foods. This does not meet the criteria for an increased rating beyond 30 percent.

The deciding factor: The inter-incisal range of 25 mm falls within the 21-29 mm category with dietary restrictions, which corresponds to a 30 percent disability rating under the revised DC 9905 effective September 10, 2017.

Claimed conditions
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) repair with degenerative joint disease
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
30%
Decision date
May 16, 2019
Citation
19138281

Veterans Law Judge

J.W. FRANCIS

Decisions by this judge: 1,030 · Granted: 17% (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 19138281.

What this means for you

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