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Whole decision: Denied

The Board found that the Veteran's pericarditis with pericardial effusion did not begin during service or is otherwise causally related to an in-service respiratory condition, thus denying her claim.

The deciding factor: There was no evidence of a chronic or recurrent pericarditis and the initial diagnosis was first made post-service, which contradicted the Veteran's assertions of an in-service onset and link to environmental exposure.

Claimed conditions
pericarditis with pericardial effusion
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
July 30, 2020
Citation
20050867

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 20050867.

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.

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