The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PLS, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current diagnosis and service or herbicide agent exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that PLS is not caused by service, including herbicide agent exposure, due to its unknown etiology and the fact that it occurred nearly 22 years after discharge from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21063807
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 21063807.
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: Granted
The Veteran's PLS, a variant of ALS, is granted as service connected. The Board found sufficient evidence to presume that PLS developed due to service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's ALS was granted service connection throughout the appeal period.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) as there is no persuasive evidence that the condition began during active service or is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's PLS, a variant of ALS, is granted as service connected due to the presumption under 38 C.F.R. § 3.318.
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