The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a spider bite, to include a decrease in white blood cells was denied because there is no credible evidence of an in-service occurrence of the claimed injury. The Board found that the Veteran did not have an in-service occurrence of a spider bite and thus could not establish service connection.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lay testimony regarding an in-service spider bite was deemed not credible due to inconsistencies in his descriptions of when and where it occurred, combined with the lack of supporting evidence from VA records.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a spider bite, decrease in white blood cells
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2023
- Citation
- 23056589
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 23056589.
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: Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for residuals of left ankle burn, left knee disability, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), and hearing impairment are all granted. The claim for residuals of a spider bite is remanded.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a spider bite and dental disorder for compensation purposes due to lack of evidence showing current disabilities or bone loss during service.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board has reopened the appellant's claim for service connection for residuals of a spider bite. However, it is unable to establish service connection due to lack of credible evidence linking the current nerve damage to an in-service injury.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that the evidence was not in equipoise and did not meet the criteria for service connection.
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