The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, which was previously denied in January 1999. The appellant's representative is represented by The American Legion.
The deciding factor: Medical evidence added since the last final decision includes a medical opinion relating the veteran's death to a service-connected disability (rheumatic fever and neurocirculatory asthenia).
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic fever, neurocirculatory asthenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2003
- Citation
- 0307798
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (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 0307798.
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 veteran's claims for service connection for several conditions, including low back disability and diabetes mellitus, type II, were granted. The claim for rheumatic fever was remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appeal for further development due to new evidence added since the April 2024 supplemental statement of the case and consideration of both the former and revised versions of the rating criteria.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for several issues including earlier effective dates and increased disability ratings for heart conditions, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability. The Veteran's private treatment records are missing and need to be obtained.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hand and left ankle conditions, which may be related to rheumatic fever. The case is being remanded for further evaluation.
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