The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for Buerger's disease and vasculitis, finding that there was no nicotine dependence acquired during active military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not believe that the veteran's habit of cigarette smoking was tied to his years of service, thus denying the claim based on direct service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Buerger's disease, vasculitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2004
- Citation
- 0411279
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0411279.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for a medical opinion from a physician specializing in environmental health and toxic exposures to address the etiology of the Veteran's Buerger's disease, specifically regarding its relation to service and exposure to Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's Buerger's disease, specifically related to exposure to herbicides or radiation therapy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found new and relevant evidence that warrants readjudication of the claim for service connection for an autoimmune disorder, including Wegener's granulomatosis, vasculitis, arthropathy, sensitivity to cold, and loss of two fingertips. The case is being remanded for further review.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete VA examinations and a duty to assist error, requiring further evaluation of the Veteran's left leg sores from vasculitis.
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