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Whole decision: Denied

The Board found the veteran not eligible for educational benefits under the VEAP due to his failure to make contributions. The veteran was also denied vocational rehabilitation services as he did not qualify as having an employment handicap.

The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not substantially contribute to his impairment of employability, and he is currently employed in a skilled position that does not interfere with his current employment.

Claimed conditions
hypertension, Hodgkin's disease, degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, rhinitis with sinus congestion, gastritis
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
March 18, 2004
Citation
0407099

Veterans Law Judge

MICHAEL D. LYON

Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 0407099.

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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