The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a throat disability, finding that there was no evidence of a relationship between his current condition and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s symptoms are more likely due to reflux and chronic irritation from smoking rather than an in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- throat disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19175842
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for multiple disabilities, including right and left wrist, hand, hip, ankle, elbow, respiratory, chest pain, hypotension, and throat conditions. However, the Board granted service connection for a respiratory disability, diagnosed as dyspnea.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the left and right eye disabilities, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal disabilities of the neck/upper back and mid/lower back, left knee disability, right knee disability, sinus disability, sleep disturbance, and throat disability as there was no evidence of a superimposed injury or disease during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining medical opinions and providing proper notice of the Veteran's right to a hearing.
- Partly granted
Service connection for throat disability, obstructive sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric condition, and heart condition is granted. Service connection for bilateral kidney condition is remanded.
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