The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for heart condition, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as there is no evidence of herbicide exposure during active duty or any other possible link to active duty service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have physical presence in Vietnam or serve in inland waterways of Vietnam. There was also no evidence suggesting any other possible link to active duty service, and the Veteran's lay statements were not competent to establish exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart condition, Right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, Left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, Right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, Left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19186656
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board denied various claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates, with the exception of granting a 10 percent rating for right knee instability.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, and left ear hearing loss. The veteran was granted a TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to provide a new VA examination and obtain medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran's diagnosed heart conditions are related to service or caused or aggravated by one or more service-connected disabilities, including hypertension.
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