The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left and right upper extremity neuropathy, finding that there was no evidence of these conditions during service or within a reasonable time thereafter, and that they were not caused by toxic exposure or any other in-service event.
The deciding factor: The February 2024 VA examiner opined that the claimed conditions were less likely than not due to service or toxic exposure risk activity, as there was no evidence of neuropathy during service or on separation examination, and the condition's onset was many decades after discharge. The Board found this opinion to be adequate and afforded it probative weight.
- Claimed conditions
- left upper extremity neuropathy, right upper extremity neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25110852
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,432 · Granted: 29% (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 A25110852.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including SMC based on loss of use of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, as well as rating increases for various neuropathies. The AOJ is instructed to obtain an adequate opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions have manifested with the loss of use of his hands, legs, and feet.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for TDIU, left upper extremity neuropathy, and right shoulder rotator cuff strain has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating for left upper extremity neuropathy and right shoulder rotator cuff strain have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for right shoulder rotator cuff strain has been dismissed.,A 20 percent rating is granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy.,A 20 percent rating is granted for left lower extremity radiculopathy.,The 40 percent rating for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease was reduced to 20 percent, and the reduction has been restored.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for SMC based on loss of use of the left upper extremity is remanded due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding her service-connected disabilities.
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