The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral diabetic retinopathy was denied as there is no evidence of the presence of this condition. The Board found that his vision issues were not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: Diabetic retinopathy was not diagnosed in any medical records provided by the Veteran or obtained during the appeal process, and the VA examiners did not find diabetic retinopathy present.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Diabetic Retinopathy, Duodenal Ulcer
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 27, 2013
- Citation
- 1343024
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 1343024.
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 major depressive disorder, duodenal ulcer, and irritable bowel syndrome. The remaining claims regarding a neurological disorder of the left and right elbows were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus and bilateral diabetic retinopathy, both presumed to be caused by exposure to herbicide agents during the Veteran's service in Thailand. The claim for a heart condition was remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for GERD but denied it for duodenal ulcer, diverticulosis, and hemorrhoids.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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