The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a shell fragment/shrapnel wound to the left hip and peripheral neuropathy, as well as his claim of exposure to Agent Orange. The Board found no evidence of a shell fragment or shrapnel wound to the left hip in service records and concluded that the arthritis present was not related to any such injury. For peripheral neuropathy, the Board noted it was first diagnosed many years after service and did not find any medical evidence linking it to service.

The deciding factor: The veteran's shell fragment/shrapnel wound claim lacked supporting medical evidence of a current disability in connection with his service record. The peripheral neuropathy claim failed because there was no link between the condition and service, including exposure to Agent Orange.

Claimed conditions

peripheral neuropathy, shell fragment/shrapnel wound to the left hip

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

January 10, 2003

Citation

0300516

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 0300516.