The Board denied service connection for dental disabilities as there was no evidence of trauma or disease resulting in loss of substance of the maxilla or mandible, and the Veteran's teeth were replaceable by suitable prosthesis.
The deciding factor: There was no indication of dental trauma or chronic disease causing a loss of substance of the body of the maxilla or mandible during service.
- Claimed conditions
- dental disabilities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20074539
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Outcome labels are AI-extracted from each decision; spot checks have found mislabels, so treat percentages as approximate.
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 20074539.
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 incomplete employment information provided by the Veteran. The AOJ needs to request completed VA Form 21-4192s from identified employers.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's current dental disability does not meet the criteria for service connection as it is not due to trauma or disease such as osteomyelitis, and therefore denied her claim.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board finds that the Veteran's additional dental disability was caused by VA radiation treatment for thyroid cancer, and it is not reasonably foreseeable. Therefore, compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is granted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical services provided by Aspen Dental, finding that the dental treatment did not meet the criteria for emergency treatment and that VA facilities were feasible alternatives.
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