The Board denied service connection for COPD, glaucoma, exogenous obesity, hypothyroidism, and hyperlipidemia each claimed to be secondary to diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The August 2007 VA examiner opined that the veteran's COPD and hypothyroidism were not related to his diabetes mellitus. There is no competent evidence of record that either of these disorders are related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, or by any other incidence of service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), glaucoma, exogenous obesity, hypothyroidism, hyperlipidemia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2008
- Citation
- 0812211
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a deviated septum and denied compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypothyroidism, and hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism, as it is presumptively linked to herbicide agent exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including GERD, chronic kidney disease, COPD, a heart condition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemical agents during his service.
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