The Veteran's claim for service connection for lipoma of the left upper back area is denied as there is no evidence linking it to his military service, including herbicide exposure. The claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, and joint pain are all remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lipoma was not shown during service or linked to any in-service event, including herbicide exposure. There is no evidence of a relationship between the current condition and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- lipoma of the left upper back area, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, joint pain (left ankle, left toe, right knee, low back, right elbow, right shoulder, cervical spine)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2022
- Citation
- 22016672
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 22016672.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
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