The Veteran's claim for service connection for a thyroid disorder is denied as the evidence does not show that his current diagnosis of hypothyroidism began during service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back and left shoulder conditions are also denied. The preponderance of the evidence shows no more than a 10 percent disability rating prior to January 15, 2020, and a 20 percent disability rating thereafter.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any complaints or findings related to thyroid issues. His current diagnosis of hypothyroidism was first noted in September 2009, years after his separation from active duty. The evidence does not establish a link between the Veteran’s current condition and his military service.,The VA examination reports indicate that the Veteran's low back disorder is manifested by limited range of motion without ankylosis or other severe functional impairment during the periods considered. While he reported flare-ups, these did not result in flexion to 30 degrees or less with or without flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid Disorder, Low Back Disorder (Lumbar Spine), Left Shoulder Bursitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2021
- Citation
- 21009748
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 21009748.
What this means for you
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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 GERD and Thyroid Disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service.,Both conditions were determined to be unrelated to military service.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for insomnia, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and polycythemia vera were dismissed due to procedural issues. The remaining claims are remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to new and relevant evidence having been received since a previous denial.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder, resolving any reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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