The Board denied service connection for right-lower-extremity and left-lower-extremity peripheral neuropathy, as well as ischemic heart disease, all of which were not found to be related to active service or the herbicide exposure.,Ischemic heart disease was also denied due to lack of a current diagnosis.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show any in-service injury or illness that could have caused peripheral neuropathy or ischemic heart disease, and there is no evidence of such diseases within one year after separation from service. The Veteran's STRs do not indicate treatment for these conditions, and the post-service records also lack a diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- right-lower-extremity peripheral neuropathy, left-lower-extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160236
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19160236.
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 remands the claims for peripheral neuropathy and facial numbness as secondary to service-connected hypothyroidism for additional medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy due to exposure to an herbicide agent, as well as his claim for a higher rating for PTSD. The case is being returned to the AOJ for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions alone did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to July 9, 2015. His TDIU claim was denied as his disabilities were at 60% combined and did not meet the regulatory threshold for total disability rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.