The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus as there is no medical evidence of the condition during service or for many years thereafter, and no competent evidence linking it to any incident of or finding recorded during service.
The deciding factor: There was no medical evidence of diabetes during service or for many years thereafter, and no competent evidence suggesting a nexus between the Veteran's diabetes and any incident of or finding recorded during service. The Veteran did not set foot in Vietnam, so there is no presumption of exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2009
- Citation
- 0905542
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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