The Board dismissed the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection based on a difference of opinion, as there was no evidence of a 'difference of opinion' between the medical evidence at the time of the June 1969 and March 2003 rating decisions.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence to support a finding that there exists any difference of opinion regarding the medical evidence at the time of the two decisions, as the medical evidence was vastly different at the time of each decision.
- Claimed conditions
- 5-inch linear scar on the right radius, stellate scar, 1 inch, ulnar border of right forearm, parethesias in the median nerve distribution of the right forearm, right radial deviation with limitation of motion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2009
- Citation
- 0903304
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 684 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0903304.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
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- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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