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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied service connection for heart disease with hypertension and gout, finding that the veteran did not have these conditions during or within one year after his military service.

The deciding factor: The evidence showed no manifestations of heart disease or hypertension in service, and current diagnoses were not related to any incident of service. The same was true for gout, which first appeared years after service.

Claimed conditions
heart disease with hypertension, gout
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
February 1, 2002
Citation
0201102

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 0201102.

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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