Service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension cannot be established as they were not shown to have manifested in service or within one year of service discharge. Service connection for below the right knee amputation and residuals of left foot surgery is also denied due to lack of evidence establishing a link between these conditions and diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims are based on assertions that his unhealthy eating habits and stress during service caused his diabetes mellitus and hypertension, but there is no credible evidence supporting this claim. Additionally, the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam or its inland waters, thus he cannot establish herbicide exposure for purposes of presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2013
- Citation
- 1316151
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 1316151.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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