The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluation were denied. Service connection was not established for Type II diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, or hypertension due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The right knee disability claim resulted in a 10% rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have service in the Republic of Vietnam and thus could not establish presumptive service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus based on exposure to herbicide agents. There was no evidence linking diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, or right knee disability to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Type II diabetes mellitus, Right knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 1, 2010
- Citation
- 1007376
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1007376.
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 service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Meniere's disease, to include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), secondary to tinnitus and dismissed the claims for a left knee disability, right knee disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that Type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which are presumed to have resulted from herbicide exposure during service, contributed substantially to his demise.
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