The Board denied service connection for left upper extremity and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as there was no evidence of a current disability, and the Veteran did not provide a plausible explanation for his claimed conditions. The Board also found that there was insufficient evidence to establish a link between the Veteran's current peripheral neuropathy diagnoses and in-service herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence is against a finding of a current left upper extremity or bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy disability, as there were no service treatment records indicating such conditions. The earliest post-service diagnosis was in 2015, over 40 years after separation from active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2018
- Citation
- 18157456
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 18157456.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective October 24, 2017. The attorney fees are eligible based on the past-due benefits awarded in the May 2021 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity and foot peripheral neuropathy, particularly in relation to herbicide agent exposure during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has identified errors in the rating decision and is remanding the case for further development to ensure all relevant evidence is considered.
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