The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating prior to January 29, 2018, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter for hypogeusia is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected hypothyroidism is denied as the evidence does not support a higher 30-percent rating under either the previous or amended rating criteria for endocrine disorders.,The Veteran's claims for ratings in excess of 10 percent for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities are denied.,TDIU claim since June 7, 2019 is dismissed as moot.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not demonstrate that the Veteran had complete loss of the sense of taste prior to January 29, 2018, warranting a compensable rating.,Under pre-December 10, 2017, DC 7903, and throughout the appeal period, the evidence did not more closely approximate fatigability, constipation, and mental sluggishness. The Veteran's VA treatment records and the April 2017 VA examination does not reveal any gastrointestinal, neurologic, or psychiatric abnormalities related to the Veteran's hypothyroidism.,The evidence of record also does not suggest that the Veteran's hypothyroidism symptoms were more closely contemplated by the rating criteria for the higher 60- and 100-percent ratings. Thereafter, residuals should be rated for residuals of disease or medical treatment under the most appropriate DCs under the appropriate body system.,The Veteran is already receiving separate ratings for hypertension and PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- hypogeusia, hypothyroidism, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 22, 2022
- Citation
- A22023627
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 A22023627.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for hypothyroidism is denied, and the Board finds that service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease and bilateral foot condition should be remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hypothyroidism and therefore denied their claim for service connection.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of peripheral neuropathy in all four extremities, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.
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