The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including a left knee condition, GERD, a left hip condition, migraines, left lower extremity neuropathy, and squamous cell carcinoma of the skull, upper lip, and left great toe, as there was no evidence to support a finding that these conditions were related to his in-service toxic exposure risk activities.
The deciding factor: The July 2024 VA medical opinion found it less likely than not that the Veteran's claimed conditions were due to his exposure to toxic substances, and there was no other evidence to suggest a link between the conditions and service.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee condition, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), left hip condition, migraines, left lower extremity neuropathy, squamous cell carcinoma on the skull, upper lip and left great toe
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24065574
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and pernicious anemia, and the Board dismissed both appeals.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as the appellant does not have a documented history of recurrent or refractory esophageal stricture(s).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, low back disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or illness related to these conditions.
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