The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected disabilities are mildly to moderately disabling and do not cause employment handicap due to his ability to work from home and perform sedentary jobs.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus (type 2), diabetic neuropathy of the left upper extremity, diabetic neuropathy for the right upper extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity, diabetic neuropathy right lower extremity, residuals of lacerations of scar of the left medial arm, erectile dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 22, 2007
- Citation
- 0718797
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 0718797.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II (DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD), finding that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his active duty at Fort McClellan. The Board also found support for secondary service connection for diabetic neuropathy of various extremities, peripheral vascular disease, and gastroparesis as secondary to DM.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus type II on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure, and also granted service connection for diabetic neuropathy of the right upper, right lower, left upper, and left lower extremities.
- Denied
The Veteran's SMC is denied as he does not have a separate and distinct disability rated at 50 percent or more, which would be required for the intermediate step of SMC(p).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted an effective date of August 19, 2019 for the award of service connection for diabetes mellitus. The RO must now assign initial disability ratings for diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease), erectile dysfunction, and diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities from August 19, 2019 to August 9, 2022. Effective dates prior to August 10, 2022, for service connection for these conditions are also remanded.
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