The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left leg brace, skin cancer of the ears, and left leg deep vein thromboses are denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is remanded due to conflicting evidence regarding its etiology. The claim for left leg neurological disability (drop foot) is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's use of a leg brace was not found to be a service-connected disability, and his skin cancer of the ears were not linked to Agent Orange exposure or service. His deep vein thromboses are considered part of his service-connected peripheral arterial/vascular disease. The rheumatoid arthritis claim is remanded due to conflicting evidence regarding its etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- left leg brace, skin cancer of the ears, left leg deep vein thromboses (blood clots), rheumatoid arthritis, left leg neurological disability (drop foot)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19126632
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and systemic lupus erythematosus as there was no evidence of onset during active service or etiological relationship to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on chronic symptoms shown during service and continuity of those symptoms since service.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis was dismissed due to a untimely notice of disagreement. The left knee disorder claim is remanded for further action.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a 70 percent rating for PTSD and granted an effective date of May 31, 2004, but no earlier, for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).
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