The Board has determined that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a connection between the claimed disabilities and service. The appellant's diabetes mellitus (including diabetic retinopathy) and bilateral cataracts with pseudophakia and glaucoma were not present in service or proximate thereto.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show that the claimed disabilities are related to service, including as a result of exposure to Agent Orange or Camp Lejeune contaminants. The earliest post-service clinical records indicate these conditions were diagnosed decades after service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral defective hearing, Diabetes mellitus (including diabetic retinopathy), Bilateral myopia and left eye exotropia, Bilateral cataracts with pseudophakia and glaucoma, Residuals of cold injuries to the feet (claimed as including claw foot and onychomycosis), Arthritis of the feet, Residuals of right hip gunshot wound
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2005
- Citation
- 0519232
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0519232.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the arms, feet, and legs; hearing loss; thoracolumbar spine disability; sleep apnea; and PTSD. However, a 10 percent rating was granted for prostatitis with BPH prior to September 19, 2020.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate opinions in his VA examinations regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his pulmonary condition and multiple musculoskeletal issues, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment since September 17, 2013.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of arthritis or frostbite residuals of the feet. The examiner determined that the Veteran has bilateral hammer toes, but did not find any evidence of arthritis or frostbite residuals.
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