The veteran's appeal is remanded to consider his claim for a higher disability rating and an earlier effective date for service connection due to diabetes mellitus, which was initially diagnosed in July 1988. The RO must obtain medical records from the Concord Family Health Practice and review the revised criteria for evaluating diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The veteran's initial claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was filed on October 6, 1993, which is later than when he was initially diagnosed with the condition in July 1988. The effective date for the grant of service connection must be based on the date of his original claim.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2005
- Citation
- 0503495
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 0503495.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and bilateral knee strain to obtain additional medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus; granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and skin cancer; and restored the 10 percent rating for hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and sleep apnea to obtain a TERA opinion due to the Veteran's participation in a toxic exposure risk activity during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.
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