The Board dismissed the claim for an earlier effective date for a 30 percent evaluation of the Veteran's service-connected gunshot wound to the abdomen with retained foreign body as it is considered a freestanding claim and not within its jurisdiction.
The deciding factor: The claim is dismissed because it represents a freestanding claim, which is not permitted by law.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a gunshot wound to the abdomen with retained foreign body
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- September 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20059382
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 20059382.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's wife testified about the Veteran experiencing falls and large knots on his abdomen since 2004, which led to VA treatment. The Board is remanded to obtain VA treatment records from 2004 to 2011 for a gastroenterologist in Albuquerque.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are being reviewed to determine if they caused or contributed to his cause of death, which was terminal lymphoma. The Board has ordered a VA opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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.