The Veteran's lumbar strain, left knee strain, and TMJ left side are all found to be at least as likely as not caused by her service. The right knee strain is denied due to lack of contemporaneous documentation. The tension headaches and cervical strain are also found to be related to the Veteran's service.,The Veteran's current diagnoses of lumbar strain, left knee strain, TMJ left side, tension headaches, and cervical strain have been determined to be at least as likely as not caused by her military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's self-reported symptoms during service, coupled with her continued complaints of pain since service, supported a finding that these conditions are related to her military service.,The evidence showed that the Veteran experienced various musculoskeletal issues during service and reported them to medical personnel. The absence of contemporaneous documentation for right knee strain was noted but not considered dispositive.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain, left knee strain, right knee strain, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) left side, tension headaches, cervical strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2023
- Citation
- A23030739
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 A23030739.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches as secondary to his service-connected sleep apnea, tinnitus, cervical spine disability, and GERD. The decision is based on a finding of relative equipoise between the conflicting opinions regarding causation.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions due to untimely filing of the appeal.
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