The Board denied service connection for residuals of dental surgery as the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's current condition was related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no direct link between the Veteran's current dental condition and his military service, with one examiner noting that the loss of teeth clearly existed prior to service and was not aggravated by any in-service injury or event.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of dental surgery
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069985
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20069985.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to concerns about whether the in-service bone graft constituted a loss of substance of the body of the maxilla or mandible due to trauma or disease, and if so, its impact on the Veteran's current periodontal condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for a dental condition and remanded the issue of service connection for residuals of dental surgery for outpatient dental treatment purposes.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral dry eye disorder, finding that the Veteran's current disability is related to his in-service surgery. The claim for residuals of dental surgery was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for residuals of dental surgery was denied because there is no evidence of any diagnosed dental or jaw condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for a dental condition and remanded the issue of service connection for residuals of dental surgery for outpatient dental treatment purposes.
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.