The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for gallstones, finding that they were not incurred or aggravated by service and could not be presumed due to radiation exposure. The current disorder was also not caused by a pre-existing condition.
The deciding factor: Gallstones were not present during service, did not manifest within one year after service, and there is no evidence linking the current gallstone disorder to service or radiation exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- gallstones
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2003
- Citation
- 0333830
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 0333830.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a stroke, sleep apnea, and gallstones based on the Veteran's active-duty military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 50 percent evaluation for service-connected cluster headaches and denied service connection for hearing loss, while granting service connection for a right lateral collateral ligament sprain as secondary to the left ankle disability and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for gallstones, left eye disability, right eye disability, sinusitis, asbestos exposure, GERD, back disability, neck disability, and right ear hearing loss. The claims for left ear hearing loss, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including a benign liver disorder, cervical disorder, gallstones, kidney stones, thyroid disorder, and ovarian cysts as secondary to a cervical disorder, due to inadequate examinations.
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