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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including carpal tunnel syndrome, radiculopathy, and peripheral neuropathy, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents.

The deciding factor: The May 2022 VA examination and June 2022 addendum opinions concluded that the Veteran's current disabilities are less likely than not related to his presumed in-service exposure to herbicide agents, as there is no evidence of such conditions during service or shortly thereafter, and the pathophysiology of these conditions does not align with expected outcomes from such exposures.

Claimed conditions
right carpal tunnel syndrome, left carpal tunnel syndrome, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
March 25, 2025
Citation
25004021

Veterans Law Judge

MICHAEL MARTIN

Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

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 25004021.

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.

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