The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and CHF, as well as his claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity. The appeals are currently pending.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners have provided conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran's heart disability is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and whether his peripheral neuropathy warrants a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, Non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure (CHF)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20080745
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20080745.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an initial 70 percent rating for service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity is granted. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to SMC based on a need for aid and attendance.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities and remanded the issue of esophageal cancer.
- Granted
The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, spinal disability, and hypertension with acute renal failure are all granted. The rating for spinal disability is restored to 20 percent effective January 6, 2020. An increased rating for hypertension with acute renal failure is denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities was denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities was denied.
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