The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms do not meet the criteria for a current diagnosis of ALS and did not establish service connection due to lack of evidence linking his neurological disorder to active duty.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence did not provide a current diagnosis of ALS, and there was no established link between the Veteran's neurological disorder and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2018
- Citation
- 1821146
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 1821146.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding medical records and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed progressive muscular atrophy or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis of the hands.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal as the appellant died during the pendency of the case, and thus has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of the service connection claim for a neurological disorder secondary to a service-connected left shoulder disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered the AOJ to obtain missing VA treatment records from 1972-1980 and seek new medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed neurological disorders, including trigeminal neuralgia. The AOJ must also ensure that any examination report complies with these instructions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the conflicting diagnoses and their etiology.
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