The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for varicose veins in both his right and left legs, finding that the current 10 percent disability ratings adequately reflect the severity of these disabilities. The claim for service connection for an upper back disorder was also denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find any persistent edema or skin changes associated with the veteran's varicose veins in either leg, and his symptoms were described as intermittent aching pain that improved with elevation of extremities. There was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or other complications.
- Claimed conditions
- Varicose veins in the right leg, Varicose veins in the left leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- September 21, 2004
- Citation
- 0426071
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 0426071.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder from March 21, 2012, to August 23, 2015 is denied.,The Veteran's claims to reopen the issue of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea and an increased evaluation for posttraumatic stress disorder between December 1 and 31, 2015 are dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran prior to the Board's decision.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for varicose veins in his left leg is remanded for further evaluation.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for varicose veins in his right leg is also remanded for further evaluation.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is related to his service-connected varicose veins, and the claim for service connection has been granted. The ratings and compensation issues remain pending.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's varicose veins in his left leg are not related to service, as there is no evidence of such condition during or immediately after service. The current diagnosis was attributed to intercurrent non-service connected causes.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for varicose veins in the right leg was denied. The VA examiner found that the condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to moderate functional impairment.
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