The veteran's claim for service connection for an undiagnosed illness manifested by fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, cold and numbness of the legs below the knees, poor memory, and hair loss with itching and scaling of the scalp due to exposure to ionizing radiation was denied as there is no credible medical evidence linking these conditions to his period of service.
The deciding factor: The veteran's complaints did not manifest until many years after discharge from service, and there is no competent medical evidence that any of the claimed disorders may be considered radiogenic diseases. The Department of the Navy had noted in June 1984 that the veteran's exposure to radiation was 'zero' based upon his very brief stay in the Nagasaki area.
- Claimed conditions
- fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, cold and numbness of the legs below the knees, poor memory, hair loss with itching and scaling of the scalp
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2000
- Citation
- 0003321
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 0003321.
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 the appeal for all service connection and rating issues, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these matters.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for gastrointestinal problems and PTSD, and denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. The issue of a separate evaluation for bulimia nervosa was remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for fatigue and prurigo nodularis, both on a secondary basis to the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a disability manifested by fatigue, finding no evidence of the condition and attributing the Veteran's symptoms to other known diagnoses.
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