The Board denied service connection for radiculopathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, as well as a heart disorder, finding no current disability diagnoses in the medical records.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a current diagnosis of radiculopathy or heart disorder in the Veteran's medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- radiculopathy of bilateral upper extremity, radiculopathy of bilateral lower extremity, heart disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20000577
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 a heart disorder, specifically atrial fibrillation, due to exposure to herbicide agents during active duty service in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for heart disorder, stroke residuals, sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to obtain addendum opinions addressing specific risk factors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, heart disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension, as well as entitlement to a special monthly pension, due to insufficient evidence regarding in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
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