The Board found that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen the veteran's claims of service connection for rheumatism, bronchial asthma, osteoarthritis, and/or malaria. The previous denials were based on a lack of evidence showing these conditions during service or within the regulatory presumptive period.
The deciding factor: The additional medical records submitted did not provide new opinions linking the claimed conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatism, bronchial asthma, osteoarthritis, malaria
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2002
- Citation
- 0218760
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 0218760.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for bronchial asthma, bilateral knee strain, and lumbosacral strain due to a procedural defect in docketing.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, right hip degenerative joint disease and rheumatoid arthritis with acetabular cyst status post right total hip replacement, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, fever sores, and a compromised immune system, as the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bronchial asthma, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and a heart disability associated with the appellant's service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. The remaining claims were remanded to correct pre-decisional errors.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for bipolar and related disorders, but remanded claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and asthma.
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