The Board denied service connection for valley fever, a scar of the right shoulder, and soft tissue abscess of the right scapula due to lack of new and material evidence. Service connection was granted for PTSD.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's PTSD diagnosis is related to his in-service experiences during the Gulf War, which are considered fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.
- Claimed conditions
- valley fever, scar of the right shoulder, status-post surgery, soft tissue abscess of the right scapula
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19135132
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,421 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19135132.
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: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lung disorder and valley fever. The Veteran was previously denied service connection for his lung disorder in February 1994, but new evidence did not meet the materiality requirement to reopen this claim. For valley fever, there is no current diagnosis or treatment records indicating the presence of the condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The appeal is granted as his PTSD is now considered service-connected.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection of a left leg disability is reopened, and the appeal is granted.
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