The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to service-connected type II diabetes mellitus. Ratings of 40 percent, but not greater, are granted for peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity and left lower extremity sciatic nerve, with ratings of 30 percent, but not greater, for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity and bilateral lower extremities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hypertension was found to be proximately due to his service-connected diabetes. For the lower extremities, the evidence supported a finding of moderate incomplete paralysis, warranting ratings of 40 percent for each sciatic nerve condition and 30 percent for each femoral nerve condition.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the femoral nerve of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the femoral nerve of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006661
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20006661.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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