The Veteran's claim for left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy was granted with an effective date of July 2, 2004. The claim had been pending since his initial service connection denial in June 1998 due to the submission of new and material evidence within a year of that decision.
The deciding factor: The Veteran submitted new and material evidence (a September 2002 mental health evaluation and May/June 2006 VA treatment records) related to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate his claim: early-onset peripheral neuropathy associated with herbicide exposure. This evidence was not previously considered by agency decision makers.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20002670
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,614 · Granted: 35% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20002670.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding the Veteran's exposure to mercury in dental amalgams and asbestos during service. A VA medical opinion is needed to determine if these exposures are related to his claimed disabilities.
- Dismissed
The appeal concerning earlier effective dates for service connection and disability ratings has been dismissed.,No new evidence or arguments were provided to support the claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Board finds the evidence insufficient to grant service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, prostate condition, headaches, IBS, behavioral neurology conditions, and acquired psychological condition due to exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has identified a pre-decisional duty to assist error and is remanding the claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to the Veteran's claim being raised prior to December 2024, despite not being adjudicated in that decision.
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