The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including toenail disorder, toe disorder, headaches, gastrointestinal disorder, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and hypertension, were denied as there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or a link to service.
The deciding factor: Service records did not show any complaints, treatment, or diagnoses related to the claimed conditions during active duty. The Veteran's claims for secondary service connection based on DM or Agent Orange exposure were also denied due to lack of supporting evidence and conflicting statements regarding his service in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Toenail Disorder, Hammer Toes, Headaches, Gastrointestinal (GI) Disorder, Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), Left Upper Extremity (LUE), Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), Right Upper Extremity (RUE), Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), Left Lower Extremity (LLE), Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), Right Lower Extremity (RLE), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19190459
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19190459.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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