The Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disability for VA compensation purposes is denied because his missing teeth are not due to loss of substance of the body of the maxilla or mandible from trauma or disease such as osteomyelitis. The claim for service connection for a dental disability for VA treatment purposes is dismissed because he is already in receipt of a 100% combined disability rating, which authorizes him to receive any needed dental treatment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's missing teeth are not due to loss of substance of the body of the maxilla or mandible from trauma or disease such as osteomyelitis.
- Claimed conditions
- missing teeth
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- January 3, 2024
- Citation
- 24000355
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24000355.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental condition, including tooth loss due to injury, is being remanded as the VA examination scheduled in March 2025 was not conducted due to the Veteran's failure to appear. The Board finds that the Veteran should be rescheduled for a new VA examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claim for a dental disorder, including missing teeth due to jaw surgery during service, was denied as the evidence did not support a finding of service trauma or malpractice.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's dental disability, including caries, missing teeth, and TMD/bruxism, is related to his active service. The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of these disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied service connection for missing teeth and remanded the claims for temporomandibular disorder, left knee disability, and back disability due to a need for additional evidence.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.