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 assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19190459
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 19190459.
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 service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
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