The Veteran's peripheral vascular disease of the bilateral lower extremities was not incurred or aggravated by service, and is not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and/or coronary artery disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's peripheral vascular disease did not have its onset during service and is more likely due to smoking history, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, rather than being caused or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral Vascular Disease of the Bilateral Lower Extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2016
- Citation
- 1607091
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 1607091.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for PTSD, Sleep Apnea, Liver Cancer, and the service connection claims for Peripheral Vascular Disease of the Bilateral Lower Extremities and Hypertension due to herbicide exposure have all been dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions. The claims will be reviewed again with additional evidence and expert opinions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for initial compensable evaluations for right and left hand carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as her appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability to include simple phobia (now consolidated under major depressive disorder with PTSD and insomnia), have been dismissed. The Veteran has also been granted a TDIU.
- Denied
The Board finds that the Veteran's peripheral vascular disease (PVD) of the bilateral lower extremities is not related to service or secondary to his service-connected cold injury residuals, and thus denies the claim.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.