The Board found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein. The Board also found that diabetes mellitus is not proximately due to, or aggravated by, a service-connected disease or injury.
The deciding factor: The September 2015 VA examiner opined that it is less likely than not (less than a 50 percent probability) that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is due to or caused by the service-connected hypertension. The examiner reasoned that diabetes mellitus is mostly hereditary and genetic interplaying with environmental factors, such as obesity; and that co-existence of diabetes mellitus with hypertension is not uncommon.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 21, 2017
- Citation
- 1741457
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 1741457.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
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