The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction do not warrant higher initial disability ratings.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran's conditions require more than a 20 percent rating for DM or that his diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, or erectile dysfunction warrant separate compensable ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Diabetic Retinopathy, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Right Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Left Lower Extremity, Erectile Dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0906098
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0906098.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for erectile dysfunction due to insufficient medical evidence and a need for a VA examination.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Bilateral Lower Extremity Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (Sciatic Nerve), Erectile Dysfunction, and Bladder Cancer in remission. Effective dates have been set for these awards as of July 14, 2004. The Veteran's claim for higher initial disability ratings and earlier effective dates are being remanded.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is found to have had its onset during service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.
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