The veteran's head, chest, and stomach injuries were not incurred in the line of duty. The Board finds that he did not sustain these injuries during an assault on July 22, 1974, while AWOL from his military duties. Therefore, service connection for any resulting disabilities is denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran's injuries were not incurred or aggravated in the line of duty and thus cannot be considered service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of Head Injury, Residuals of Chest Injury, Residuals of Stomach Injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2008
- Citation
- 0803715
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 0803715.
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 remands the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) as it is now necessary to consider the newly awarded service-connected psychiatric disability in the first instance.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including those for generalized anxiety disorder, hemorrhoids, residuals of a head injury, migraines, right wrist disability, left wrist disability, left hand disability, PTSD, sleep apnea, jaw disability, and chest pain. The remaining issues have been dismissed.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection claims due to his withdrawal of appeal, except for a full grant of GERD service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability and residuals of head injury as the evidence did not show that these conditions began during or were otherwise related to service.
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