The Board denied the appellant's claim for benefits based on her son's permanent incapacity for self-support prior to reaching age 18, citing evidence that he was not permanently incapable of self-support at the time of his 18th birthday.
The deciding factor: The veteran's son had a hypothalamic tumor and hydrocephalus before turning 18, but continued to attend school and work after this point, indicating he could support himself.
- Claimed conditions
- Idiopathic precocious puberty, Hypothalamic tumor, Hydrocephalus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2003
- Citation
- 0308781
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,987 · Granted: 15% (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 0308781.
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 Board has denied service connection for a traumatic brain injury and remanded the issue of service connection for hydrocephalus as secondary to TBI. The Veteran's claim is being returned for further development.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to November 11, 2013, finding that his employment was not in a protected or sheltered work environment and therefore did not qualify as marginal employment.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and ensuring proper notification of the appellant.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that service connection is granted for the Veteran's cause of death, as hydrocephalus, a contributory cause of death, was related to his in-service traumatic brain injury.
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