The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection for a headache disability, as the evidence did not support an earlier date of entitlement or the presence of a headache condition.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the application of the PACT Act, which established a later effective date due to the retroactive nature of the law.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic peripheral neuropathy left lower extremity (sciatic nerve), diabetic peripheral neuropathy left lower extremity (femoral nerve), diabetic peripheral neuropathy right lower extremity (sciatic nerve), diabetic peripheral neuropathy right lower extremity (femoral nerve), diabetic peripheral neuropathy left upper extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy right upper extremity, headache disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25047566
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeal for an increased rating for a headache disability, and the Board dismissed the claim.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and penile cancer as there was no evidence of a medical nexus between the Veteran's conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of September 11, 2024 for the Veteran's headache disability based on continuous pursuit of her claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to correct a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, specifically to verify the Veteran's assertion of herbicide exposure while working on C-123 aircraft at Clark Air Base from May 1965 to November 1966.
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