The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have a bilateral foot, right leg, or left leg disability during his lifetime. The appellant's statements regarding these disabilities are not considered competent evidence as they do not demonstrate medical expertise.,The Veteran was diagnosed with CAD in 1999, which is more than 37 years after his discharge from service. There is no evidence linking the diagnosis to his service or any incident therein.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence to establish that the Veteran had a current disability of bilateral foot, right leg, left leg, CAD, right hip, left hip, neck, bilateral shoulder, abdominal aortic anomaly, hand shaking, COPD, or chronic fatigue during his lifetime. The appellant's statements regarding these disabilities are not considered competent evidence as they do not demonstrate medical expertise.,The Veteran was diagnosed with CAD in 1999, which is more than 37 years after his discharge from service. There is no evidence linking the diagnosis to his service or any incident therein.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Foot Disability, Right Leg Disability, Left Leg Disability, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Right Hip Disability, Including Degenerative Arthritis, Left Hip Disability, Including Degenerative Arthritis, Neck Disability, Including Degenerative Arthritis and DDD, Bilateral Shoulder Disability, Abdominal Aortic Anomaly, Disability Manifested by Bilateral Hand Shaking, To Include Essential Tremors, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Disability Manifested by Chronic Fatigue
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19169277
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 19169277.
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
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- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating greater than 70 percent for PTSD, granted an earlier effective date of August 14, 2024, for the grant of a 70 percent rating for PTSD, and denied other claims including entitlement to an effective date prior to April 3, 2025, for the grant of a 100 percent rating evaluation for CAD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new examination and further developing evidence related to toxic exposure during service.
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