The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted for some conditions, but denied for others. The appeal is granted to the extent of reopening and granting of service connection for cervical spine disability and bilateral lower extremity disabilities. Service connection was denied for Parkinson’s disease, left shoulder, right shoulder, left knee, heart disability, constipation, GERD, neurogenic bladder, TIAs, left face drop (facial palsy), vocal cord dysfunction, left upper extremity atrophy, right upper extremity atrophy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. Service connection was not granted for sleep disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's Parkinson’s disease is not service connected, nor are any of the other disabilities on appeal. The evidence does not support a causal relationship between these conditions and service or any service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical spine disability, Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, Left shoulder disability, Right shoulder disability, Left knee disability, Cervical spine disability (secondary to Parkinson's disease), Heart disability (ischemic heart disease), Constipation, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Neurogenic bladder, Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), Left face drop (facial palsy), Vocal cord dysfunction, Left upper extremity atrophy, Right upper extremity atrophy, Left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, Right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, Sleep disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19164063
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 19164063.
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 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.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for bladder cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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