The Board denied the claim for service connection of a TMJ disorder because the Appellant did not have an injury during his period of active duty training (ACDUTRA) that would qualify him as a veteran for this period.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no medical evidence to support the Appellant's assertion that he had any TMJ symptoms during ACDUTRA and/or active-duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2024
- Citation
- A24074429
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (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 A24074429.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine disability, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left foot crush injury, and sciatic radiculopathy of both lower extremities, also secondary to the newly service-connected lumbar spine disability. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder and a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for cervical and thoracolumbar spine strains, TMJ disorder, dermatitis of the face, right knee chondromalacia grade II with patellar tendonitis, medial meniscal derangement, and Baker's cyst, and bilateral hearing loss. However, service connection was granted for radicular pain paresthesia of the right upper extremity.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of a 50 percent rating for TMJ disorder and denied a higher rating, while also granting an initial 40 percent rating for arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and denying a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for PTSD, paranoid reaction, obstructive sleep apnea, and increased ratings for tinnitus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, left knee disability, right ankle disability, and TMJ disorder.
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.