The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for soft tissue sarcoma and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as his claim for a compensable rating for a scar on the left temporoparietal region. The evidence did not support these claims.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence was against the diagnoses and service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Rheumatoid arthritis (claimed as secondary to a shell fragment wound), Soft tissue sarcoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2006
- Citation
- 0619232
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,738 · Granted: 17% (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 0619232.
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: Granted
The Veteran's cause of death is granted as his soft tissue sarcoma, a disease presumed to be related to herbicide exposure during service in Thailand, was caused by a service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted. The appeal for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and hernia/soft tissue sarcoma is remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened, and the Board finds that new evidence supports reopening of this claim. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for soft tissue sarcoma as there is no current diagnosis or evidence of herbicide exposure.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI, heart disorder, skin disorder, and gastrointestinal disorder are remanded for further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development and needs to consider whether the Veteran's gastrointestinal cancer and/or soft tissue sarcoma are related to his service, including exposure to herbicides. The claim will be reconsidered based on new evidence.
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