The Veteran's claim of service connection for an autoimmune disease, to include SLE, was denied as his failure to report for a VA examination deemed necessary to determine the etiology of his claimed condition requires that this claim must be denied as a matter of law.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to report for a VA examination scheduled in July 2008 without good cause, which is required by regulation when adjudicating service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2009
- Citation
- 0922886
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 0922886.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 50 percent for chronic tension headaches but denied higher ratings for right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, remanded claims for cervical strain, fibromyalgia, SLE, and TDIU.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for an autoimmune disease due to the lack of a current diagnosis, and remanded claims for left lower extremity sciatica and radiculopathy as well as degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine for further development.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for autoimmune and cardiovascular disabilities were denied. The claims for lumbar spine, radiculopathy, and bilateral knee disabilities were remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hand arthritis due to the Veteran's service-connected SLE. The cases of hiatal hernia and SLE are remanded as there were issues with the reasoning provided.
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