The Board denied service connection for 17 claimed disabilities, including back disability, sciatica, hip disabilities, respiratory disability, Hodgkin's lymphoma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathies, finding they did not manifest in service or within presumptive periods and were not causally related to service. The Board remanded claims for left wrist disability and skin disability for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the disabilities did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge, the separation examination was negative, post-service medical records indicated injuries and conditions unrelated to service, and the VA examiner's reasoned opinion regarding causation was assigned higher probative value than the Veteran's unsupported statements.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, right lower extremity sciatica, left lower extremity sciatica, right hip disability, left hip disability, left ankle disability, left foot disability, right leg disability, respiratory disability, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, Hodgkin's lymphoma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy of right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of left lower extremity, left wrist disability, skin disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20004180
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
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