The Board found that the veteran's diagnosed neurological disorder, which he claimed as Huntington's disease, pre-existed service and was aggravated by stress during military service. However, the evidence did not support a finding of aggravation due to the veteran being asymptomatic on entry into service and returning to baseline functioning upon separation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that although the veteran had an increase in symptoms while in service, he returned to his baseline level of functioning when the stress was eliminated with his separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- neurological disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2006
- Citation
- 0602489
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,177 · Granted: 24% (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 0602489.
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: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal as the appellant died during the pendency of the case, and thus has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the service connection claim for a neurological disorder secondary to a service-connected left shoulder disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered the AOJ to obtain missing VA treatment records from 1972-1980 and seek new medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed neurological disorders, including trigeminal neuralgia. The AOJ must also ensure that any examination report complies with these instructions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various neurological conditions as secondary to iron deficiency anemia, finding no current diagnosis of any of the claimed conditions.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a neurological disorder has been withdrawn by the Veteran.
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