The veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type II is denied. The RO will obtain and associate with the claims file any outstanding private medical records from his treating physician to determine if there has been a worsening of his hypertension and hand condition.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence linking the current diagnoses to service or to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, hypertension, residuals of blast injury with scar, palmar aspect of right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2004
- Citation
- 0405839
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 0405839.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma but denied it for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
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