The Board has determined that the evidence submitted since the November 1991 rating decision is not new and material, and thus does not serve to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of rheumatic fever.
The deciding factor: The evidence received was considered but did not meet the criteria for being both new and material as it merely repeated the veteran's assertions regarding his history of having rheumatic fever while in service.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic fever, residuals of rheumatic fever
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2002
- Citation
- 0214371
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 0214371.
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.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for several conditions, including low back disability and diabetes mellitus, type II, were granted. The claim for rheumatic fever was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appeal for further development due to new evidence added since the April 2024 supplemental statement of the case and consideration of both the former and revised versions of the rating criteria.
- Granted
The Veteran's rheumatic heart disease with coronary artery disease, status post stent placement is rated at 60 percent effective April 20, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for several issues including earlier effective dates and increased disability ratings for heart conditions, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability. The Veteran's private treatment records are missing and need to be obtained.
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