The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The veteran's combined rating is 70 percent, but he does not meet the schedular requirements for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a).
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, bilateral diabetic cataracts with left eye diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- July 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0823626
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 0823626.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
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.
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