The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for thalassemia, finding that there was clear and unmistakable evidence that the condition pre-existed service and had not been aggravated by military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the current anemia with normal iron studies is an expected sequela of thalassemia, which existed prior to service and was not aggravated during service.
- Claimed conditions
- thalassemia
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2012
- Citation
- 1241756
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 1241756.
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 a rating of 70 percent for PTSD with major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder, effective August 26, 2010, but denied service connection for arthritis, increased ratings for hiatal hernia, thalassemia, and other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for low testosterone and thalassemia as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed as the appellant requested to withdraw his appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the assignment of 100% disability ratings for sarcoidosis and thalassemia were dismissed as freestanding claims are not allowed once a rating decision becomes final.
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