The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a thyroid condition, finding that there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides and insufficient evidence linking his current condition to active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA failed to find evidence of Agent Orange exposure during the Veteran's service on the USS Coral Sea, which is required for presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2022
- Citation
- A22021373
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 A22021373.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for a VA examination and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's thyroid disability. The claim will be readjudicated after these are obtained.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the June 2025 AOJ decision regarding entitlement to service connection for disabilities caused by thyroid is dismissed. The AOJ's denial of other claims (bilateral knee, shoulder, hip, neuropathy, and stomach ulcer) is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected low back and knee disabilities contributed to his obesity, which then contributed to his hypothyroidism. The case will be returned for an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a thyroid condition and remanded claims for a left thigh/femur condition and gastrointestinal condition.
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