The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral varicose vein disability began during active service and is related to his military activities, resulting in a grant of service connection.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset of varicose veins in service were credible and probative, outweighing the negative opinion from a VA examiner who did not consider the Veteran's medical records showing he had varicose veins prior to 2006.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral varicose veins
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20067153
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC), due to insufficient evidence of current disabilities related to service or functional impairment.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a rating of 70 percent for PTSD prior to November 23, 2020 and service connection for bilateral varicose veins. The claim for chronic obstructive lung disease was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new evidence was submitted to warrant readjudication of the claims for service connection for bilateral varicose veins, right knee disability, left-hand broken ring finger disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression and insomnia). The claims are being remanded due to a lack of a VA examination or medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral varicose veins is being remanded to obtain updated medical records and a new VA examination.
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