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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected hypothyroidism with organic brain syndrome dementia, finding that the current 60 percent rating adequately reflects the severity of his disability.

The deciding factor: The appellant's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher schedular rating under either the old or new Diagnostic Code 7903 due to lack of specific findings such as cardiovascular involvement, bradycardia, or sleepiness.

Claimed conditions
hypothyroidism with organic brain syndrome dementia
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
January 20, 2004
Citation
0402009

Veterans Law Judge

MARY GALLAGHER

Decisions by this judge: 1,464 · Granted: 14% (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 0402009.

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.

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