The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy as secondary to the veteran's lumbar spine disability due to a lack of medical evidence supporting a relationship between the two conditions.
The deciding factor: The only competent, probative opinion to address the question of medical etiology weighed against the claim, indicating no relationship between the veteran's lumbar spine disability and peripheral neuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) with chronic lumbosacral strain, Peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2009
- Citation
- 0900524
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 Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and an effective date of August 13, 2019, for the grant of Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for posttraumatic stress disorder, service connection for gallbladder disease and functional gastrointestinal disorders, and remanded claims for peripheral neuropathy, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and residuals of liver disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy to obtain a new VA medical opinion due to inadequate previous opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for arthritis of the left middle finger and remanded claims for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and a TDIU.
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