The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, arthritis of the left and right shoulders, and arthritis of the finger joints of both hands as there was no evidence to support a direct link between these conditions and his period of active service.
The deciding factor: There is no credible evidence indicating that the veteran's current conditions are related to his time in service. The onset of diabetes mellitus occurred many years after retirement, and there is no indication of any injury or disease during service that could have led to these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, arthritis of the left shoulder, arthritis of the right shoulder, arthritis of the finger joints of both hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2008
- Citation
- 0813006
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded the claims for sinus disability, bilateral hip disability, right shoulder disability, hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, skin disability, back disability, bilateral neurological disability of the upper extremities, and bilateral neurological disability of the lower extremities.
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