The Board denied service connection for agoraphobia and determined that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for residuals of pneumonia.,The veteran's current psychiatric disability, including a panic disorder with agoraphobia, is not shown to be related to any event or occurrence on active duty service.
The deciding factor: There was no clinical evidence of chronic residuals from bronchopneumonia in the veteran's service records and his current acquired psychiatric disorder did not manifest until many years after service.
- Claimed conditions
- Agoraphobia, Pneumonia (residuals)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2002
- Citation
- 0204922
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 0204922.
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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- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Agoraphobia due to a lack of adequate medical opinion based on the factual record.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating and an earlier effective date for his service-connected PTSD was denied. The Board found that the increase in disability occurred more than one year prior to the receipt of the claim, thus denying any earlier effective dates.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and Agoraphobia, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his in-service traumatic experiences.
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