The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection for various conditions, finding no evidence of a link between these conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence of the claimed conditions in service or until many years after service, and no competent evidence linking such disorders to service.
- Claimed conditions
- varicose veins of the right leg, polycythemia, depression with panic attacks, disorder manifested by night sweats, disorder manifested by fatigue, disorder manifested by shortness of breath
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 7, 2009
- Citation
- 0900545
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability, left knee disability, polycythemia, and bilateral hearing loss as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Granted
The Board granted a 60 percent rating for polycythemia based on the Veteran undergoing phlebotomy 6 times within a 12-month period.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and polycythemia, both related to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbar spine condition L4-5, varicose veins of the left leg, and varicose veins of the right leg due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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