The Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI and mouth injury have been denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,Service connection has not been established for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis, cervical spine, or OSA due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's STRs do not show any diagnoses of TBI or mouth injury. The Board found no current diagnosis and concluded that there is no nexus between the claimed conditions and service.,VA examinations did not find a link between the diagnosed conditions (lumbar spine, cervical spine, OSA) and service. The Veteran's lay statements regarding continuity of symptoms were considered but not accepted as evidence of chronicity.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Mouth Injury, Degenerative Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine with Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Arthritis of the Cervical Spine, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2026
- Citation
- A26038650
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 A26038650.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for vertigo and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's hearing loss is not rated higher than 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for OSA and insomnia must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and opinions, as well as a failure to obtain TERA opinions on all relevant exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and a separate rating for chronic pulmonary embolism due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its residuals, including unsteady gait, somnolence, and cognitive dysfunction. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible lay statements about in-service head injuries and subsequent seizures.
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