The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of gall bladder surgery as there was no evidence to support that the surgery occurred during his active duty or a period of active duty training.
The deciding factor: There is no clinical documentation supporting the veteran's reported history of gallbladder surgery while on active duty or active duty for training, and the RO made repeated efforts to obtain any records but found none.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of gall bladder surgery
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2004
- Citation
- 0418870
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,242 · Granted: 26% (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 0418870.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and gall bladder surgery residuals render her unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of a bunionectomy (claimed as bunion left foot) due to the lack of evidence showing that the condition began during active service or was related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Board denied service connection for residuals of a uvulectomy because there is no indication that the appellant's disability developed during his period of active duty and it is not related to any in-service injury or disease.,The Board denied service connection for hypertension as there was no evidence showing its onset during active service or being related to an in-service injury or disease. The appellant did not serve in Southwest Asia or Vietnam, but he claimed exposure to environmental hazards from the Gulf War and Agent Orange.,The Board denied service connection for residuals of gall bladder surgery due to lack of evidence showing that the condition began during active service or was related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the Veteran's residuals of gall bladder surgery are related to his first period of service from February 1956 to February 1968 and whether there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the condition was not aggravated by any periods of active service or active duty for training following his cholecystectomy in 1972/1973.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder on the basis that the criteria for service connection were not met. The RO continued to deny claims for service connection for residuals of gall bladder surgery, residuals of fracture of the mandible, bronchitis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.