The Board denied service connection for asthma, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes mellitus type II (due to exposure to Agent Orange), left and right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and hypertension due to exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran's claims were not reopened as new evidence did not relate to the unestablished fact of aggravation by service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the new evidence was cumulative and did not establish that preexisting asthma or other conditions were aggravated by service, nor did it provide a causal link between any current disabilities and service.
- Claimed conditions
- Asthma, Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, Diabetes mellitus, type II (DM2), Left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, Right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, Hypertension (HTN)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005474
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,030 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20005474.
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: Denied
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and the Board finds that this rating adequately compensates his service-connected condition.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Veteran's asthma is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim has been remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, asthma, and foot conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history throughout the appeal period.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand several cases related to the Veteran's PTSD, asthma, and other conditions. The issues include increased disability ratings for PTSD and asthma, as well as effective date determinations.
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