The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, degenerative arthritis of the hands, and degenerative arthritis of the shoulders as these conditions were not incurred in active service, to include as residuals of cold injury.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence or credible lay statements supporting a finding that the veteran's claimed conditions were related to his military service, including any cold weather exposure during his time in Korea.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, Degenerative arthritis of the hands, Degenerative arthritis of the shoulders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2008
- Citation
- 0809820
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 appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed as moot because the Veteran is already receiving TDIU effective January 9, 2017.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, but granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities from July 1, 2011.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, and thus grants service connection for this condition. The Veteran does not have an immune deficiency syndrome or fibromyalgia as claimed.
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