The Board denied the veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for residuals of shell fragment wounds to the face, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted. The RO previously denied the claim in October 1984 due to lack of well-groundedness.
The deciding factor: The newly submitted evidence was not considered significant enough to change the outcome of the previous denial.
- Claimed conditions
- shell fragment wounds to the face, loss of the sense of smell
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2002
- Citation
- 0206545
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 0206545.
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: Partly granted
The veteran's service connection for hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and related conditions was granted. Service connection for cataracts was denied, and issues regarding dry mouth and teeth removal were remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to insufficient medical opinions and need for updated VA treatment records.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for loss of the sense of smell, taste, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and muscle atrophy are denied as there is no competent and probative evidence establishing a relationship to service or a service-connected disability.,Service connection for coronary artery disease and pain disorder affecting the entire body with psychological factors is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's alleged exposure to Agent Orange.
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