The Veteran's Graves' disease, laryngeal nerve damage with dysphonia and dysphagia, and related conditions are not service-connected. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners were against the Veteran's claims, concluding that his current conditions were either unrelated to service or due to known risk factors associated with thyroid surgery and exposure to non-ionized radiation. The Board found no evidence of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar fault on part of VA.
- Claimed conditions
- Graves' disease, dysphonia, dysphagia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2023
- Citation
- 23000547
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 23000547.
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 remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing records and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims will be readjudicated after obtaining any necessary records.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hiatal hernia with gastritis and dysphagia, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and a duty to assist error. The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder claim will be reconsidered with the inclusion of all relevant private medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection for Graves' disease and a need for an addendum opinion on the etiology of the condition.
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