The Veteran's conditions, including diabetes and its related complications, are not service connected. The Board denied the claims for service connection based on lack of evidence showing onset or causation in service.
The deciding factor: Service records do not show any diagnosis of diabetes or diabetic symptoms during active duty. Diabetes was first diagnosed after separation from service, and there is no medical opinion linking the Veteran's current conditions to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- patellofemoral dysfunction of the right knee, type 2 diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, bilateral diabetic retinopathy with macular ischemia and ocular hypertension, hypertension, headaches, left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, sleep apnea, dyslipidemia, glaucoma, erectile dysfunction, transient ischemic attacks, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, pes planus, arthritis, cervical radiculopathy, weakness and cramps, coronary artery disease, right ear hearing loss, shin splints, seizure disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 26, 2016
- Citation
- 1633754
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 1633754.
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 the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- 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.
- 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.
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