The Veteran's persistent depressive disorder is found to have been incurred in service, with the Board resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.,While the Veteran has erectile dysfunction, it was not caused or aggravated by diabetes mellitus. The examiner opined that hypogonadism may be more likely the cause of his erectile dysfunction.,New and material evidence sufficient to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been received.
The deciding factor: The VA examination provided a diagnosis of persistent depressive disorder, which was found to have its onset during service. The examiner opined that it is at least as likely as not related to his experiences in Vietnam.,The Veteran's erectile dysfunction was determined to be more likely caused by hypogonadism rather than diabetes mellitus, given the timing and nature of both conditions.,The evidence submitted since the March 2003 rating decision includes private mental health records that support a diagnosis of depression. This evidence is considered new and material as it raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating this claim.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired psychiatric disorder - persistent depressive disorder, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2015
- Citation
- 1551780
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 1551780.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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 Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus type II (DM II), hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to service-connected DM II. The Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during active service is presumed.
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