The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection were denied. The Veteran was granted a 40% rating for his cervical spine disability, but the claim for an increased rating is still pending. Service connection for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy was also denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection could not be established as there was no evidence of a nexus between the service-connected conditions and the claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- ankylosing spondylitis (cervical spine disability), left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19194999
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 19194999.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis, small bowel obstruction, to include small bowel perforation, status post left hemicolectomy, Hartman's pouch and ileostomy (bowel condition), as well as right and left upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for asthma but denied all other claims, including service connection for various conditions and a compensable rating for scars between the scapulae.
- Partly granted
The Board granted initial ratings of 70 percent for right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, 60 percent for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and 30 percent each for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (femoral and sciatic nerves), while denying an increased rating for allergic rhinitis and granting a 10 percent rating for chloracne of the face, arms, and back prior to September 27, 2018.
- Denied
The Board denied higher ratings for the service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities both prior to and from May 25, 1999.
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