The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for a thyroid disorder. The claim for service connection for gout was reopened, but not granted. Service connection for degenerative joint disease of the neck, feet and left wrist was denied. Service connection for bilateral eye disorder was also denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the thyroid disorder claim prior to a decision being made. The Board found new and material evidence in support of reopening the gout claim but denied service connection due to lack of evidence linking current disabilities to service. Degenerative joint disease and bilateral eye disorders were also not granted as they lacked sufficient medical evidence connecting them to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid disorder (hypothyroidism), Degenerative joint disease, Bilateral eye disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19148070
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,738 · 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 19148070.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability and right leg radiculopathy are granted service connection, but left leg radiculopathy is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's low back disability, effective from the date of the August 2013 VA examination. The decision also notes that all reasonable doubt is resolved in favor of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability and bilateral lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy are currently rated at 10 percent prior to March 5, 2021, and 20 percent thereafter. The appeal is denied as the criteria for higher ratings have not been met.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the reopening of claims for service connection for a heart disorder, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and gout. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.
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