The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any diagnoses or treatments related to the claimed conditions. Post-service medical records reveal diagnoses but fail to establish a link between the current conditions and military service, including exposure to cold weather.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) with emphysema, lung disease, anemic blood disorder, heart disorder, type II diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 22, 2010
- Citation
- 1023226
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 1023226.
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 denied increased ratings for hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus; granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and skin cancer; and restored the 10 percent rating for hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension, a heart disorder, and diabetes mellitus as the evidence did not support a positive nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and systemic lupus erythematosus as there was no evidence of onset during active service or etiological relationship to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus to address a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA not requesting private treatment records.
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