The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's varicose veins of the lower extremities began during his military service and are related to his active duty. Therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's testimony regarding the onset and progression of varicose veins during service was credible, combined with the VA examiner's conclusion that in-service onset could not be ruled out, granting the benefit of the doubt to the veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- varicose veins of the lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2003
- Citation
- 0302848
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,458 · Granted: 24% (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 0302848.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for varicose veins of the lower extremities and denied an initial rating higher than 50 percent for a mental health disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for varicose veins of the lower extremities, finding that the evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral lower extremity varicose veins are related to his service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for further development due to outstanding VA and private treatment records, including those from the Atlanta VAMC and Dr. George.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and to schedule him for examinations to address the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions, including right shoulder disability, hypertension, heart disability (mitral valve prolapse), PTSD, TBI, lumbar strain, and need for aid and attendance.
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