The VA determined that the veteran's lung disability and cardiovascular disability were not incurred or aggravated in service, may not be presumed to have been incurred therein, and did not arise subsequent to service as a proximate result of a disease process that was incurred in service.,The VA also found that the veteran's cardiovascular disability and lung disability were not caused by tobacco use during service.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish nicotine dependence or any smoking history during service, nor did it show that the veteran's current lung or cardiovascular disabilities are related to his in-service tobacco use.
- Claimed conditions
- lung disability, cardiovascular disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2003
- Citation
- 0300888
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 999 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0300888.
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 Board has remanded the claims for diabetes, headaches, and a cardiovascular disability due to VA treatment on August 9, 2019. The Veteran contends that he was prescribed Jardiance (Empagliflozin) instead of Metformin, leading to complications such as DKA, renal failure, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, sleep apnea, dizziness, and headaches.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding private medical records related to asbestos exposure and lung disability. The Veteran is requested to provide information about his private physician and for VA to obtain relevant records.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II; a heart disability; hypertension; and a lung disability due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is currently diagnosed with these conditions and reported symptoms during service.
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