The veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy have been rated at 20 percent since February 6, 2001. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for either condition.
The deciding factor: The veteran's diabetes mellitus has necessitated insulin use and maintenance of a restricted diet without any regulation of activities, episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring hospitalization or twice monthly visits to a diabetic care provider. His diabetic nephropathy is manifested by elevated creatinine and BUN levels but no constant albuminuria or recurring casts/red blood cells.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, diabetic nephropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 5, 2006
- Citation
- 0609945
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,055 · Granted: 31% (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 0609945.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic nephropathy, and prostate cancer. The issues of entitlement to special monthly compensation based on housebound status and eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) are remanded.
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