The veteran's combined disability rating is 90%, but the Board finds that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show that the veteran's service-connected conditions are so severe as to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- mood disorder associated with diabetes mellitus Type II, knee disabilities, dermatosis sicca associated with diabetes mellitus Type II, diabetes mellitus Type II, right knee sprain, left knee sprain with small joint effusion, peripheral neuropathy in each of the four extremities associated with diabetes mellitus Type II, erectile dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus Type II
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2007
- Citation
- 0739780
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 0739780.
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: Granted
Service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II is granted. The Board also found that service connection should be granted for hypertension and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as secondary to the Veteran's diabetes mellitus.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded 16 claims for service connection due to a failure to provide notice of the right to a hearing on a supplemental claim.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's TDIU and DEA eligibility are granted with an effective date of April 1, 2009. The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities precluded him from securing or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation since April 2009.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of December 8, 2015 for both TDIU and DEA eligibility. The Veteran is now eligible for these benefits as his service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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