The veteran's lumbar spine DDD, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease in the left lower extremity, and erectile dysfunction were not found to warrant higher initial ratings.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of more severe symptoms or functional impairment than those already contemplated by the assigned ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Diabetes mellitus, Peripheral vascular disease in the left lower extremity, Erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2009
- Citation
- 0900670
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 29, 2019 for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder but denied earlier effective dates and increased ratings for other conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 5, 2018, for the award of service connection for PTSD and denied earlier effective dates for erectile dysfunction, left ear hearing loss, migraines, and other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, sleep disorder, erectile dysfunction, and right eye injury as new and relevant evidence was not received to readjudicate these claims.
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