The Board granted earlier effective dates for service connection of idiopathic peripheral neuropathy in the bilateral feet and upper extremities, based on new and material evidence received within one year of a prior denial.
The deciding factor: The RO did not consider new and material evidence received in March and April 2010, which rendered the January 2010 rating decision non-final. The October 2009 informal claim remained open until the February 2023 rating decision granted service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- idiopathic peripheral neuropathy of the left foot, idiopathic peripheral neuropathy of the right foot, left upper extremity polyneuropathy, right upper extremity polyneuropathy
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25029699
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25029699.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for loss of bowel and bladder function but granted a 60% rating for right and left lower extremity sciatic peripheral neuropathy, and a 50% rating for right upper extremity polyneuropathy, effective from March 18, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for right upper extremity polyneuropathy, a 30 percent rating for left upper extremity polyneuropathy, and a 40 percent rating for both right lower extremity and left lower extremity polyneuropathy. Special monthly compensation was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's Parkinson's disease and polyneuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, which are currently service-connected. The Veteran asserts that his conditions are related to in-service exposure to trichlorethylene (TCE).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The Board finds that VA is obligated to provide an examination or medical opinion in a claim of service connection when the record contains competent evidence of a current disability or persistent or recurrent symptoms of a disability, and the record indicates that the disability may be associated with active service.
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