The Veteran's claim for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy was denied as he did not have a diagnosed disability. The heart disease and diabetes mellitus claims were remanded due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The medical records do not support the presence of a bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy disability, and the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus does not meet the criteria for higher ratings under Diagnostic Code 7913 (diabetes mellitus).
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, Atherosclerotic heart disease with congestive heart failure, Diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- April 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21021606
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 21021606.
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 Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher level of SMC was denied as the Board found that he is already in receipt of SMC at the (l) rate based on need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure. A second award of SMC at the (l) rate based on need for regular aid and attendance was not warranted.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for SMC based on housebound status and need for aid and attendance, finding that he did not meet the criteria for these benefits prior to the specified dates.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection for cause of death.
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