The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and right knee disability was denied. The Board found that DM did not manifest during service, within one year of service, or is attributable to service exposure to herbicides. For the right knee issue, the Board noted insufficient evidence to establish a current diagnosis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's active duty records are unavailable and he did not serve in Vietnam or near the Korean DMZ during the period when herbicide use was known to have occurred. The claim for service connection is denied on direct basis as there is no competent evidence linking the disabilities to service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, right knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2014
- Citation
- 1441636
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 1441636.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- 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.
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