The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine with cervical disc disease, hypertension with sinus tachycardia, and malignant thymoma. The claim for residuals of a back muscle strain was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current diagnoses to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine with cervical disc disease, hypertension with sinus tachycardia, malignant thymoma, residuals of a back muscle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2007
- Citation
- 0723117
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 0723117.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for cause of death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation due to a duty to assist error related to toxic exposure risk activities (TERA) participation during service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for malignant thymoma and for an initial compensable rating for baroreflex failure due to outstanding medical records that need to be obtained.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for malignant thymoma, finding that his condition was at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to Agent Orange. The decision is based on a medical opinion provided by the Veteran's private cardiothoracic surgeon.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's malignant thymoma is being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for a medical opinion regarding its etiology, including potential herbicide exposure during service.
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