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Whole decision: Denied

The veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatic fever was denied, and the issue of whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for cardiovascular disease is pending.

The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing current diagnoses or chronic disabilities related to rheumatic fever or cardiovascular disease. The veteran's history of scarlet fever during active service does not establish a link between his current conditions and service.

Claimed conditions
rheumatic fever, cardiovascular disease
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
October 29, 2001
Citation
0125461

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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0125461.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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