The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date prior to December 29, 1995 for service connection and increased ratings for her scars. The RO found that she did not file a timely claim for VA compensation benefits within one year of her discharge from active duty.
The deciding factor: The veteran filed a claim for VA Vocational Rehabilitation in June 1992 which was granted, but the effective date for service connection was determined to be December 29, 1995. The RO also denied increased ratings for her scars as they did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations under the applicable rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- splenectomy, hypothyroidism, Hodgkin's disease, appendectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2003
- Citation
- 0308144
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 0308144.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a deviated septum and denied compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypothyroidism, and hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism, as it is presumptively linked to herbicide agent exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected hypothyroidism and remanded the claim for service connection for lipomas (claimed as cysts surgery).
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