The Board has denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the right upper extremity (RUE), and peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the left upper extremity (LUE). The Veteran's claims were not based on presumptive exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a direct service connection for these conditions, as there is no clear link between the claimed in-service events or exposures and the current disabilities. Additionally, the Board found that the Veteran did not provide competent or persuasive evidence to support a connection between any of his other claimed disabilities and his exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the right upper extremity (RUE), Peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the left upper extremity (LUE), Peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the right lower extremity (RLE), Peripheral neuropathy (PN) of the left lower extremity (LLE), Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19159595
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 19159595.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his myocardial infarction and COPD to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's GERD is currently rated at 10 percent disabling, but the Board found that his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that both conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition and sinusitis, respectively.
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