The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an abdominal disability, a right lower quadrant scar, and an umbilical scar. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were caused by or aggravated during his periods of active service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence showed that the current abdominal disabilities did not have their onset in service and were not related to any period of service due to clear and unmistakable evidence showing they pre-existed service and were not aggravated by it. The right lower quadrant scar was found to be a complication from an earlier surgery, while the umbilical scar was determined to be unrelated to service.
- Claimed conditions
- abdominal disability, right lower quadrant scar, umbilical scar
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065484
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for abdominal, lower back, and right shoulder disabilities, as well as an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and a right index finger strain.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of the appellant's claims for service connection for an abdominal disability, a left knee disability, a right knee disability, TMJ, and lumbosacral strain due to new evidence. The appeal for asthma was dismissed as moot, while other claims were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion on whether plantar fasciitis was aggravated by active duty training.
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