The veteran's appeal was denied as he did not provide sufficient evidence to support his claims for facial numbness, tingling in arms and legs, left ankle edema, chest pain, and shortness of breath. The VA Medical Center treatment is linked to the left ankle edema and fatigue but not to these other symptoms.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish a causal connection between the veteran's claimed conditions and his December 1987 VA surgery or prescribed medication.
- Claimed conditions
- facial numbness, tingling in arms and legs, left ankle edema, chest pain, shortness of breath
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2002
- Citation
- 0202300
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 0202300.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and shortness of breath as untimely. The claim for a back disability was remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a chronic undiagnosed illness manifested by bilateral leg pain, bilateral hand tremors, sinus problems, shortness of breath and recurrent transient ear noise due to Gulf War service. Service connection was denied for CFS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions due to a need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions considering all toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs) under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, a skin rash, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, shortness of breath, PTSD, OSA, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, knee disabilities, CPS, and earlier effective dates.
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