The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower jaw disability was denied. The Board found that the in-service dental procedure did not result in bone loss due to trauma or osteomyelitis, and thus, service connection could not be established.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records reflect that the Veteran underwent an anterior segmental osteotomy without complications during active duty, but no evidence of bone loss was found post-service. The examiner stated that the surgical procedure did not cause bone loss in the mandible.
- Claimed conditions
- Lower jaw disability, Psoriasis, Left wrist fracture with degenerative joint disease, Right wrist fracture with degenerative joint disease, Multilevel lumbar spine degenerative disc disease/degenerative joint disease and neural foraminal stenosis with chronic L5 and S1 spondylolisthesis, Right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2023
- Citation
- 23020001
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 23020001.
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)
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The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was cardiopulmonary arrest due to aspiration, and they have found a duty to assist error in their initial decision. They are now requesting a medical opinion to determine if the service-connected conditions contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors in the November 2020 rating decision. The psychiatric claim, HIV and psoriasis secondary claims, and TDIU issue are all related and must be addressed together.
- Granted
The Veteran's basal cell carcinoma with residual scars, psoriasis, and keratoacanthoma were granted service connection as they resulted from sun exposure during service.
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