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
- Not verified here — check the original 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1144667.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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