The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for Lyme disease cannot be reopened as there is no new and material evidence to support it. The claims for arthritis of both feet, fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as a 'nerve condition; depression'), and bleeding from the bowels have all been denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for service connection for Lyme disease was previously denied in April 1993 due to lack of evidence of treatment or diagnosis during service. The new evidence received since that time does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim and does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Lyme disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2010
- Citation
- 1008394
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 1008394.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 60 percent rating for coronary artery disease (CAD), status post myocardial infarction, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective May 27, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a compensable rating for service-connected Lyme disease, TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status due to errors in the previous decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and special monthly compensation, as well as DEA benefits, due to no evidence of a claim being filed within one year of separation from service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, obesity, and multiple nerve and skin disorders, as well as denied initial compensable ratings for several disabilities.
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