The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hair loss due to an undiagnosed illness. The initial disability rating of 20 percent for joint pain was granted, effective October 4, 1996. However, the issue regarding an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for joint pain is not before the Board.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not indicate that the veteran suffered from abnormal hair loss and the schedular criteria for a higher disability rating were not met.
- Claimed conditions
- hair loss
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2002
- Citation
- 0218185
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 0218185.
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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hair loss and high cholesterol were denied as they are not considered disabilities for VA compensation purposes.,The Veteran's left arm condition was remanded due to inadequate examination, requiring a new evaluation.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of hair loss.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for hair loss, teeth infection/loss of teeth, and loss of fingernails as there was no evidence showing these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and hair loss (secondary to hypertension) as there is no current disability found, and the Veteran did not provide evidence showing impairment affecting earning capacity.
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