The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for distal neuropathy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, finding that there was no evidence of a direct causal relationship between the veteran's in-service symptoms and his current condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's in-service neuropathy symptoms were likely the initial manifestation of his CMT, but it was not as likely as not that his military service caused an increase in his symptoms beyond the natural progression of the disease. Additionally, there was no evidence to support a connection between the Veteran's current condition and his exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- distal neuropathy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0910747
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 251 · Granted: 25% (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 0910747.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and bilateral pes cavus, finding that the Veteran's conditions first manifested during active duty service and were not aggravated by such service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is related to his active duty service and granted service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), finding that the condition existed prior to service and did not worsen during service. The Veteran's current symptoms are attributed to his pre-existing condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for CMT was denied in 1975. The Board granted service connection and a separate rating for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities due to CMT, but denied earlier effective dates for TDIU and SMC based on housebound criteria.
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