The veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and he did not have any pending claims for non-service connected pension benefits. As a result, the appellant is not entitled to accrued benefits.
The deciding factor: The veteran had no pending claims for service connection at his death, and there was no existing rating or decision that would support accrued benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- puncture wound of the right leg, residuals of a broken finger of the right hand, residuals of a gunshot wound of the left shoulder, residuals of a shrapnel wound of the left leg, two broken upper front teeth
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2004
- Citation
- 0403905
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,419 · Granted: 21% (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 0403905.
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: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he can perform the tasks required in sedentary employment considering his education and occupational experience.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of medical records, and the Veteran's claims for service connection are now pending before the RO.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and residuals of a shrapnel wound of the left leg, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity in service or continuity of symptoms after discharge. The Board also found that any current disabilities were not related to military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of a gunshot wound of the left side, found that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claim for residuals of a gunshot wound of the left shoulder, and denied initial compensable ratings for residuals of gunshot wounds of the low back and left leg.
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