The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for pleurisy and meningitis, as well as his request for an earlier effective date for the awards of service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, a neck scar, a left ear scar, and a right ear scar. The evidence did not show current diagnoses or treatment for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were denied because there was no current diagnosis of pleurisy or meningitis, and the earlier effective date request was denied due to lack of objective evidence supporting an earlier filing of service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- pleurisy, meningitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2011
- Citation
- 1117665
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1117665.
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: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for pleurisy and emphysema was granted with an effective date of September 20, 2024. The Board found that the Veteran continuously pursued the claim since September 20, 2024.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for pleurisy was dismissed because the VA Form 10182, which requested review of the denial of pleurisy service connection, constituted an impermissible concurrent election with his supplemental claim.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the onset and etiology of his left ankle sprain, pleurisy, and right shoulder disability. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional lay statements from the Veteran and a fellow servicemember, as well as an addendum opinion from a VA or private clinician.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and whether it is secondary to his service-connected cluster headaches or meningitis.
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