The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for neuropathy of the upper extremities, as well as his increased evaluations and initial evaluations for diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities. The Board also found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen his claims for service connection for back and neck disorders.
The deciding factor: The veteran's claim was denied because there is no current diagnosis of chronic peripheral neuropathy of either upper extremity, and the claimed disorder could not be diagnosed based on the October 2003 VA examination. The Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection as his claim was not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- neuropathy of the upper extremities, diabetic neuropathy of the right lower extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2006
- Citation
- 0612450
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,599 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0612450.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus type II on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure, and also granted service connection for diabetic neuropathy of the right upper, right lower, left upper, and left lower extremities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted an effective date of August 19, 2019 for the award of service connection for diabetes mellitus. The RO must now assign initial disability ratings for diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease), erectile dysfunction, and diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities from August 19, 2019 to August 9, 2022. Effective dates prior to August 10, 2022, for service connection for these conditions are also remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including colon cancer, sleep apnea, respiratory disability, type II diabetes mellitus, enlarged prostate, diabetic neuropathy, heart disability, and acquired psychiatric disability were denied as there was no persuasive evidence to support the assertions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's vertigo claim. The claims for diabetes and diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity remain denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.