The Veteran's claims for service connection related to traumatic brain injury, left and right lower extremity cold exposure, bilateral upper and lower extremity cold exposure, hand pain, shin splints, respiratory illness (barracks mold), and sinusitis have been denied. The Board has remanded the issues of left and right knee pain, skin disease, bilateral shin splints, and respiratory illness due to barracks mold for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records do not contain complaints or diagnoses related to these conditions, and his current symptoms are attributed to overcompensation from a lower back injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Left lower extremity cold exposure, Right lower extremity cold exposure, Left upper extremity cold exposure, Right upper extremity cold exposure, Left hand pain (also claimed as hand pain/arthritis), Right hand pain (also claimed as hand pain/arthritis), Bilateral shin splints, Respiratory illness (also claimed as lung illness barracks mold), Sinusitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2026
- Citation
- A26017687
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 A26017687.
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 Veteran's service connection claims for traumatic brain injury and migraine headaches due to right eye removal are granted. The claim for a compensable evaluation of xeroderma of the right eye is remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's sinusitis is currently rated at a noncompensable evaluation. The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for sinusitis as of February 19, 2021, based on the number and duration of incapacitating episodes requiring antibiotic treatment.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for higher disability ratings in excess of 20 percent for cervical spine and lumbar spine conditions, left knee condition, right knee condition, and sinusitis. The Veteran was granted service connection for chronic laryngeal papillomatosis.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was denied because the disability is not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period; continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability was denied because the disability was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period; continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) was denied because there is no evidence of loss of consciousness or memory impairment following the motor vehicle accident during service, and post-service VA treatment records do not show a diagnosis of TBI.
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