The Board denied service connection for sickle cell trait and alpha thalassemia, finding that the conditions are congenital defects rather than diseases or injuries. The Veteran's symptoms were attributed to his genetic conditions without evidence of aggravation during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the Veteran's sickle cell trait and alpha thalassemia are congenital defects and not diseases, thus precluding service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- sickle cell trait, alpha thalassemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22039839
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 22039839.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for alpha thalassemia, anemia, and hypothyroidism as secondary to anemia due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for sickle cell trait as it is a congenital defect not subject to service connection. The right knee condition was remanded due to an incomplete medical opinion regarding its etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim for service connection for sickle cell trait.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been improperly adjudicated due to a failure to obtain all relevant medical records and Social Security disability records. The case is being remanded to correct this error.
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