The veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral vascular disease and its residuals, including recurrent transient ischemic attacks and cerebral vascular accidents with visual impairment and loss of sex drive, as secondary to nicotine dependence is denied. The initial rating for nicotine dependence remains noncompensable.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be established because the law prohibits it for disability proximately due to or the result of a disease previously service-connected on the basis that it is attributable to the veteran's use of tobacco products during service, effective June 9, 1998.
- Claimed conditions
- peripheral vascular disease, recurrent transient ischemic attacks, cerebral vascular accidents with visual impairment and loss of sex drive
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2003
- Citation
- 0307822
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · Granted: 20% (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 0307822.
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 peripheral vascular disease is being remanded due to a duty to assist error, and an addendum opinion is needed to determine if the condition is related to service or his service-connected CAD.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD), finding that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his active duty at Fort McClellan. The Board also found support for secondary service connection for diabetic neuropathy of various extremities, peripheral vascular disease, and gastroparesis as secondary to DM.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death while the appeal was pending.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for peripheral vascular disease, finding it is related to the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease with coronary artery bypass graft residuals.
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