The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The appeal was focused on whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to his active duty service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that there is no evidence of record showing that the Veteran’s current conditions began during service, or are otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury, event, or disease, including as secondary to and/or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Urinary incontinence, Headache disorder, Gastrointestinal disorder, Sleep disorder, Back disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19189630
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (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 19189630.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's left ankle disability and headache disorder secondary to PTSD with alcohol use disorder have been granted increased ratings, effective September 16, 2018.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for urinary incontinence and left ankle sprain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased rating of hypertension and service connection for genitourinary disability, including benign prostatic hyperplasia and urinary incontinence, as secondary to medication used for a service-connected hypertension disability are remanded due to duty to assist errors.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and a sleep disorder as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service, and the Veteran's statements regarding their onset in service are not credible.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.