The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of a back disability. The neck, bilateral hip, bilateral knee, and bilateral elbow disabilities were denied as not incurred in or due to service. Service connection was granted for sleep apnea and headaches, but denied for acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's STRs did not show any chronic conditions related to the claimed disabilities, and there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to his time in service.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, neck disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral elbow pain, sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety, PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19147796
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for a bilateral knee disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, including scheduling an additional VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and no competent evidence linking the condition to service.
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