The Board denied the veteran's claims for reopening service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, as well as because he did not have service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not provide sufficient new and material evidence to reopen his previously denied claims for rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal disorder, fatigue, chronic headache disorder, or a disorder producing memory loss due to undiagnosed illness. Additionally, he was not considered to have served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal disorder, fatigue, chronic headache disorder, disorder producing memory loss
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2002
- Citation
- 0213732
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 0213732.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ did not obtain all necessary opinions regarding whether the Veteran's symptoms are related to an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness (MUCMI). The claims for service connection for fatigue, fibromyalgia, left elbow disorder, right elbow disorder, and sleep disorder are remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for mental depression/anxiety, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and gastrointestinal disorder are remanded due to the need for VA examinations and an adequate medical opinion.
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