The Board denied an effective date prior to December 14, 2014, for the grant of service connection for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Board also found that severance of service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy was proper.
The deciding factor: The August 2015 rating decision granting service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to diabetes mellitus and rated under Diagnostic Code 8520 was clearly and unmistakably erroneous, as it did not account for the prior grant of service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy in an earlier August 2013 rating decision.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19125849
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 Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy secondary to the veteran's service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus, finding that it preexisted service and did not increase in disability. The claims for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and pes planus were remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Board grants service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy based on the Veteran's credible reports and a positive nexus opinion from the December 2024 VA examiner.
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