The veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and there is no evidence linking his death to a disease or injury incurred in active duty.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the conditions that caused the veteran's death to service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- partial, incomplete paralysis of the left brachial plexus, residuals of a gunshot wound (GSW) of the left axilla, peripheral vascular occlusion of the left radial, brachia and axillary vessels, traumatic arthritis and residuals of a left elbow fracture, conversion psychoneurosis, scar of the left hand, scar from a tumor in the region of the parotid gland
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2004
- Citation
- 0402332
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,582 · Granted: 32% (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 0402332.
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: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for left wrist disability, IBS, right wrist disability, and an increased rating for a scar on the left hand. It remanded decisions on bilateral flat feet and sinusitis.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, finding that the claims were not valid as they did not challenge the original effective dates assigned in 2003.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current back disorder is related to an injury sustained during active service, and grants service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a scar of the left hand is dismissed due to withdrawal. The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches was denied as there is no credible evidence linking his current headaches to service.
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