The Board found that there is no evidence linking the Veteran's current lower extremity conditions to service, including any reported cold injuries. The medical opinions provided by VA and a VHA expert concluded that the amputations were due to diabetes mellitus rather than cold exposure in service.
The deciding factor: Medical experts opined that the bilateral below-the-knee amputations were not caused by or related to cold weather injury during service, but rather secondary to diabetes mellitus and peripheral vascular disease.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of cold injuries of the left lower extremity, residuals of cold injuries of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2011
- Citation
- 1144667
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 1144667.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection of cold injury residuals and evaluations for bilateral hearing loss, headaches, and need for aid and attendance are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.
- Denied
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- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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