The Board denied service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to bilateral calcaneal bursitis with metatarsalgia, finding that the evidence does not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected foot disability and his claimed neurological conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions were found more probative than the Veteran's lay assertions regarding the diagnosis and etiology of the lower extremity neuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19195814
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 19195814.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are related to Agent Orange exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Partly granted
The appeal was granted for service connection for latent tuberculosis and dermatitis of the face, while other claims were denied.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to a finding that an adequate VA medical opinion was not obtained.
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