The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The application to reopen the claim is also denied.,The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for residuals of a fractured jaw from January 17, 2018 remains denied as there are no dietary restrictions to all mechanically altered foods that warrant a higher rating.,Service connection for a flat foot disability was denied because the pre-existing condition did not worsen during service and the presumption of aggravation does not apply. The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to conflicting medical evidence.
The deciding factor: The new and material evidence submitted by the Veteran does not establish a nexus between his in-service back injury and his current back disability.,There are no dietary restrictions to all mechanically altered foods that would warrant a higher rating for the fractured jaw condition. The Veteran's claim is denied as there is no indication of such restrictions.,The pre-existing flat foot disability did not worsen during service, thus the presumption of aggravation does not apply. The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending due to conflicting medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Back Disability, Flat Foot Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 27, 2023
- Citation
- 23067704
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 23067704.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA rating decision denying service connection for a right knee disability and a back disability is not supported by adequate medical opinions, and thus remands the case for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection of a left knee disability, back disability, and left elbow disability must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran provided lay reports of symptoms but the VA examiners did not consider these reports in their conclusions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right eye, left eye, left knee, and back disabilities due to conflicting statements from the Veteran and inconsistencies in his medical records.
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