Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran's CAD is rated at 60 percent since March 18, 2013. The claim for a higher rating remains denied.,DMII is currently rated at 20 percent and the criteria for a higher rating are not met.,Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve is rated at 20 percent since November 18, 2014. The claim for higher ratings remains denied.,Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the femoral nerve is rated at 20 percent since November 18, 2014. The claim for higher ratings remains denied.,The effective date for service connection for CAD has been set to March 18, 2013.,The effective date for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve has been set to November 18, 2014.,The effective date for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the femoral nerve has been set to November 18, 2014.

The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that the Veteran's CAD meets or exceeds the criteria for a higher rating under DC 7005.,The Veteran's DMII does not require regulation of activities and thus does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DC 7913.,The VA examinations found that the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is moderate, which precludes ratings higher than 20 percent under DCs 8520 and 8526.,There is no evidence showing that the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic or femoral nerves resulted in complete paralysis as required by DCs 8520 and 8526, respectively.,The effective date for service connection for CAD was set to March 18, 2013, based on the liberalizing law that added CAD to the list of diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents.,The Veteran's claim for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to DMII is not part of an increased rating claim and thus does not qualify for earlier effective dates under 38 C.F.R. § 3.400(b)(2).

Claimed conditions
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Diabetes Mellitus, Type II (DMII), Right Lower Extremity Sciatic Nerve Peripheral Neuropathy, Right Lower Extremity Femoral Nerve Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Lower Extremity Sciatic Nerve Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Lower Extremity Femoral Nerve Peripheral Neuropathy
How they argued it
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
December 8, 2021
Citation
21073399

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 21073399.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.