The veteran's service connection claim for tingling, pain and numbness of the hands was granted. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, lumbosacral strain, left knee osteoarthropathy and patellar chondromalacia, and right knee osteoarthropathy were also granted with initial ratings ranging from 10% to 20%. The veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain was rated at 10%, while his left and right knee conditions received separate 10% evaluations.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities is related to his previous alcohol use, which led to prolonged alcohol consumption and cirrhosis of the liver. The exposure basis was not applicable in this case.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2008
- Citation
- 0808405
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 0808405.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 due to herbicide exposure and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities secondary to the service-connected diabetes, but remanded the claim for cause of death.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied, while the appeals for diabetes mellitus, type II, and peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities were remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, as well as skin cancer, are granted. The claim for skin cancer is remanded due to a lack of opinion on direct service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, attributing it to a lack of in-service neurological injury or disease, no continuous symptoms since service, and insufficient evidence linking the condition to presumed herbicide exposure.
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