The Board remands the claims for service connection for right and left lower extremity neuropathy to obtain an etiology opinion regarding their likely relationship to toxic exposure and/or frostbite during active service.
The deciding factor: An etiology opinion is warranted due to unclear evidence of a potential relationship between the claimed conditions and toxic exposure or cold weather injury, necessitating further development.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25040480
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 715 · 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 A25040480.
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 has dismissed the appeals for left hip arthritis, right hip arthritis, type II diabetes, right lower extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity neuropathy, and sleep apnea as they have become service-connected in other rating decisions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has identified issues for remand related to service connection claims and effective date determinations. The appellant's appeal includes multiple conditions, including a headache disability, left ankle and foot disabilities, low back disability, knee degenerative joint disease (DJD), neuropathy, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.,The Board is directed to address the issues of service connection for these conditions and determine appropriate effective dates.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2 and associated neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities are granted with a 60 percent disability rating, effective October 21, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, finding no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after service and noting that the Veteran's current symptoms are not related to his military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.