The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including back disability, right leg sciatica, left leg sciatica, hip disabilities, ankle and foot disabilities, respiratory issues, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy have been denied as the evidence does not establish a link between these conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not find any chronic or service-connected condition that could be linked to the Veteran's current disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, right lower extremity sciatica associated with a back disability, left lower extremity sciatica associated with a back disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, left ankle disability, left foot disability, right leg disability, respiratory disability (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis), Hodgkin’s lymphoma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20004180
Veterans Law Judge
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20004180.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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