Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied the veteran's request for attorney fees based on grants of service connection for anxiety as secondary to a right brachial plexus injury and entitlement to TDIU. The issues were not part of an underlying issue that was appealed.

The deciding factor: The issues of secondary service connection for anxiety disorder and entitlement to TDIU were not reasonably raised or underlying any issue before the Board or on appeal to the Court, thus the veteran's attorney is not entitled to supplemental attorney fees from past-due benefits with respect to those claims.

Claimed conditions
anxiety disorder, right brachial plexus injury
How they argued it
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
June 2, 2003
Citation
0311235

Veterans Law Judge

Shane A. Durkin

Decisions by this judge: 1,325 · Granted: 31% (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 0311235.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.