The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities, render him incapable of securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from performing physically demanding jobs due to his bilateral upper and lower neuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Dementia due to Diabetes Mellitus, Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy, Right Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Upper Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy, Right Upper Extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- July 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19154549
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 19154549.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 claims for left hip disability and peripheral neuropathy due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining medical records and an adequate VA examination.
- Partly granted
The Board granted higher ratings for peripheral neuropathy in the right and left upper extremities and lower extremities, but denied a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type II.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to underlying influenza type A, with contributing causes being chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The VA medical opinions found no direct nexus between the Veteran's COPD, CLL, or ARDS and toxic exposures other than herbicide agents during active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, HTN, and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy due to their secondary nature to his already service-connected schizophrenia.
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