The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper extremity weakness and peripheral sensory neuropathy of both lower extremities, finding that there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to his service or service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for peripheral sensory neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities were also denied by the Board.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no direct link between the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity weakness, peripheral sensory neuropathy of the lower extremities, or his service-connected elbow disabilities. The examiner opined that the arm weakness was not related to the service-connected elbow disability and did not progress despite the quiescent state of the elbows.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Upper Extremity Weakness, Peripheral Sensory Neuropathy of the Right Lower Extremity, Peripheral Sensory Neuropathy of the Left Lower Extremity
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2013
- Citation
- 1335517
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 1335517.
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: Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the level specified in 38 U.S.C. 1114(r)(1) due to service-connected bilateral upper and lower extremity weakness, which requires regular aid and attendance.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has directed an addendum medical opinion due to the August 2017 addendum opinion not identifying alternative neurological or psychiatric disorders and not analyzing whether the Veteran has any current neurological disorders other than MS. The Court also noted that the May 1984 VA neuropsychiatric examination did not support the diagnosis of MS.
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