The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hand and elbow peripheral neuropathy due to inadequate medical opinion based on a lack of causal connection between herbicide agent exposure and delayed onset of peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was based solely on the lack of a causal connection, as articulated in a 2013 National Academy of Sciences study, between herbicide agent exposure and the delayed onset of peripheral neuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand peripheral neuropathy, left hand peripheral neuropathy, right forearm peripheral neuropathy, left forearm peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2022
- Citation
- 22034156
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 22034156.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for left foot, right hand, right foot, and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy as untimely.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left hand peripheral neuropathy, right hand peripheral neuropathy, and fibromyalgia as not causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service. The initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee strain was also denied.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for left and right hand peripheral neuropathy was withdrawn by the Veteran, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a stomach disorder, digestive disorder, neck disorder, right wrist disorder, and left hand peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran's right upper extremity disability was rated at 40 percent.
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