The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a shoulder disorder, inguinal hernia surgery, lung disorder, chest pain, macular degeneration, and residuals of scarlet fever. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to military service.
The deciding factor: There was insufficient medical evidence to establish a link between the veteran's current conditions and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder, residuals of left inguinal hernia surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), macular degeneration, heart murmur, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2003
- Citation
- 0308634
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 0308634.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma but denied it for hypertension.
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