The Veteran's service connection claims for multiple myeloma, peripheral neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, skin disability, heart disability, and prostate disability are all denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicides or other chemicals during his active duty service, and thus could not establish a presumption of service connection for multiple myeloma. The remaining claims were also denied due to lack of direct evidence connecting the disabilities to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple myeloma, Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, Skin disability, Heart disability, Prostate disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20001566
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's left shoulder disability and service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, both secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches, a back disability, heart disability, and residuals of a stroke, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service or caused by his service-connected left ear disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, prostate disability, and kidney cancer due to inadequate medical opinions and potential outstanding VA treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, prostate disability, and kidney cancer due to inadequate medical opinions and potential outstanding VA treatment records.
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