The veteran's diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy is rated at 60 percent since May 10, 2004 and the effective date for service connection has been set at May 8, 2001.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted based on exposure to herbicides in Vietnam, and an effective date of May 8, 2001 was assigned due to the liberalization of regulations allowing diabetes mellitus Type II to be presumed service-connected based on such exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral Vascular Disease of the Left Lower Extremity, Peripheral Vascular Disease of the Right Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Left Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Right Lower Extremity, Diabetes Mellitus with Diabetic Retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 26, 2008
- Citation
- 0840925
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 0840925.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment from March 29, 2012, to April 23, 2025. The Board granted a TDIU during this period.
- Granted
The Veteran is found to be eligible for enrollment in the PCAFC program due to his severe and complex medical conditions, which require personal care services.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity is denied as there was no prior formal or informal claim submitted before July 2, 2016.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected disabilities, granted an earlier effective date of September 7, 2018 for the grant of service connection for hypertension, and granted initial ratings of 40 percent for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities. The TDIU claim was also granted.
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