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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a head injury, finding no current disability and noting that his service medical records did not show any further complaints or treatment related to a head injury.

The deciding factor: There were no current disabilities found in the VA examination report, and the service medical records showed only one incident where the veteran was treated for a laceration of the head during active duty. No other evidence supported his claim.

Claimed conditions
head injury
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
December 3, 2002
Citation
0217419

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 0217419.

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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