Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a brain tumor, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the case. The Veteran's previous denial was based on lack of probative evidence of the presence of the tumor in service or within the first post-service year, as well as a medical opinion that found no nexus with service.

The deciding factor: The new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim and instead merely confirmed the presence of the tumor or addressed a theory of entitlement considered in the prior decision.

Claimed conditions
brain tumor, meningioma of cavernous sinus abutting the right pons (brain mass/tumor)
How they argued it
Reopened with new and material evidence
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
July 11, 2019
Citation
19153635

Veterans Law Judge

MICHAEL E. KILCOYNE

Decisions by this judge: 2,020 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19153635.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.