The Board denied service connection for arthritis, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, and cataracts as the preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active duty. The Board also denied an increased rating for pterygium of the right eye.
The deciding factor: The probative evidence indicated that the Veteran's arthritis, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, and cataracts were not present in service or for many years thereafter, nor was there competent evidence linking them to any incident of service. The Veteran's vision in his right eye was no worse than 20/50 during any part of the claims period.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, cataracts, pterygium, right eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0908292
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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal regarding the Veteran's entitlement to an initial compensable evaluation for atrial fibrillation is remanded due to unclear evidence on whether continuous medication is required for its control.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
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