The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for a jaw disorder, to include TMJ, should be remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address whether the old fracture could be consistent with an injury during service and if it is as likely as not that the in-service injury caused or is related to the diagnosed TMJ.
- Claimed conditions
- jaw disorder, temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21007286
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 21007286.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines, finding that her headaches are aggravated by her service-connected TMJ disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher disability evaluation for his jaw disorder is being remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a right leg disorder, jaw disorder, and headache disorder as secondary to a jaw disorder due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters of entitlement to a rating in excess of 40 percent for mechanical back pain syndrome with degenerative spondylolisthesis and service connection for temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ) to provide the Veteran with notice concerning his right to a hearing.
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