The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, residuals of a heart attack, and residuals of a stroke as there was no evidence of these conditions in service or within the applicable presumptive period, nor any competent evidence linking them to the veteran's active duty service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of diabetes mellitus, heart problems, or stroke during the veteran's active duty service or for many years thereafter. Additionally, there is no medical evidence suggesting a link between these conditions and his active duty service, including exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus, Residuals of heart attack, Residuals of stroke
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2009
- Citation
- 0903931
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence that his death was related to any injury or disease in service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, as the evidence did not support the need for insulin or episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring hospitalization.
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