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Denied

The Veteran's claim for residuals of a head injury was denied as there is no evidence of chronic residuals from the 1974 Carlinville, Illinois car wreck.,Service connection for thoracolumbar DDD with radiculopathy was denied due to lack of service origin and post-service low back injuries. The Veteran's current condition is unrelated to his military service.,The claim for glaucoma, claimed as increased intraocular pressure, was denied because the evidence does not show a service origin for the condition.,Service connection for hypertension was denied due to lack of service origin.

The deciding factor: There is no chronic residuals from the head injury in 1974. The current thoracolumbar DDD with radiculopathy has its onset years after service and post-service low back injuries, and is unrelated to his military service.,The Veteran's hypertension readings are consistent since at least 1986, which predates his military service. There is no evidence of a service origin for the condition.,Glaucoma was ruled out in 1987 due to elevated intraocular pressures (IOPs). The current glaucoma claim does not show a service origin.,The Veteran's thoracolumbar DDD with radiculopathy has its onset years after service and post-service low back injuries, and is unrelated to his military service.

Claimed conditions
Glaucoma, claimed as increased intraocular pressure, Hypertension, Residuals of a head injury, Thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) with radiculopathy
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
July 12, 2019
Citation
19154267

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 19154267.

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