The Veteran's claim for residuals of an appendectomy was reopened and granted service connection. The Board found that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran had an appendectomy during service, thus granting service connection.,Service connection for PVD was denied because the evidence did not show a relationship between the condition and service or secondary to service-connected pes planus. The VA examiner opined that the PVD was related to diabetes rather than service or service-connected conditions.,The Veteran's shoulder condition claim was denied as there is no direct link to service, nor can it be considered secondary to service-connected pes planus. The Board found insufficient evidence of a current disability and lack of nexus opinions from medical professionals.,Service connection for the left leg or knee condition was also denied due to insufficient evidence showing a relationship between the Veteran's in-service activities and his current condition. The VA examiner concluded that there is no direct service connection, nor can it be considered secondary to service-connected pes planus.,The Veteran's claim for shortness of breath was denied as he did not provide sufficient evidence or argument regarding any in-service event, disease, or injury related to the symptom.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had insufficient evidence to establish a direct link between his service and the claimed conditions. The VA examiners provided negative nexus opinions for all claims.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of an appendectomy, bilateral peripheral vascular disease (PVD), shoulder condition, left leg or knee condition, shortness of breath
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19143509
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 service connection for a chronic undiagnosed illness manifested by bilateral leg pain, bilateral hand tremors, sinus problems, shortness of breath and recurrent transient ear noise due to Gulf War service. Service connection was denied for CFS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions due to a need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions considering all toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs) under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, a skin rash, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, shortness of breath, PTSD, OSA, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, knee disabilities, CPS, and earlier effective dates.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of January 19, 2021, for the award of service connection for shortness of breath.
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