The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and lumbar spinal stenosis with radiculopathy were denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to his period of active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the current diagnoses are not related to service, but rather due to aging or unrelated incidents.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, lumbar spinal stenosis with radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2013
- Citation
- 1322684
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 1322684.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of April 5, 2022 for the award of SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance. However, the case is remanded to obtain additional medical records and opinions regarding the Veteran's need for higher-level care.
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