The veteran's heart disability is not service-connected, and his psychiatric disability appeal was never perfected. The VA has granted an increased rating for bronchial asthma to 60%, denied initial ratings in excess of 10% for diabetes mellitus prior to February 28, 1999, and denied initial ratings in excess of 20% for diabetes mellitus on and after that date.
The deciding factor: The veteran's heart disability was not service-connected due to lack of evidence. The psychiatric disability appeal was never perfected as the veteran did not file a timely substantive appeal. The VA granted an increased rating for bronchial asthma, denied initial ratings in excess of 10% for diabetes mellitus prior to February 28, 1999, and denied initial ratings in excess of 20% for diabetes mellitus on and after that date.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disability, Psychiatric Disability, Bronchial Asthma, Diabetes Mellitus (prior to February 28, 1999), Diabetes Mellitus (on and after February 28, 1999)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2003
- Citation
- 0319660
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 0319660.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart disability, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, but denied service connection for multiple tooth trauma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for IBS from May 19, 2024, and denied service connection for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disorder, heart disability, and bilateral hearing loss.
- Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for service connection and a higher disability rating for the Veteran's psychiatric condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a separate 50 percent disability rating for service-connected obstructive sleep apnea, as it is prohibited by law to assign separate ratings for coexisting respiratory disabilities.
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