The Veteran's TMJ dysfunction has not manifested in the need for dietary restrictions to soft and semi-solid foods, as recorded or verified by a physician, or in interincisal range of less than 30 mm of maximum unassisted vertical opening during the relevant rating period.,The Veteran’s lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity may have increased in severity since the most recent VA examinations were provided.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not reflect that the Veteran's TMJ dysfunction manifested in restriction to a diet of soft and semi-solid food, as recorded or verified by a physician, or in a range of interincisal range of less than 30 mm of maximum unassisted vertical opening.
- Claimed conditions
- Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Dysfunction, Lumbosacral Strain with Degenerative Arthritis and Spinal Stenosis, Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19182645
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (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 19182645.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for discontinuance of TDIU, reduction of disability rating for acquired psychiatric disorder, and reduction of disability rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity due to lack of response from the Veteran within the required timeframe.
- Denied
The Board found that the evidence did not show an actual improvement in the Veteran's conditions, and thus denied the reduction requests for his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability is granted service connection.,Service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities are also granted.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD, a TDIU prior to July 13, 2019, and increased ratings for the lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity.
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