The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's current diagnosis of a toenail condition, including onychomycosis and ingrown toenails, is related to his military service. Service connection is granted for this condition. However, the issue of service connection for bladder cancer remains pending as there are no effective dates provided.
The deciding factor: The new evidence includes VA treatment records showing a current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type II, which was not previously shown in service or post-service records. The Veteran's toenail condition is related to his military service due to exposure to wet boots during combat operations in Vietnam. Service connection for the hematologic condition and bladder cancer are pending as there are no effective dates provided.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type II, Toenail Condition (including onychomycosis and ingrown toenails), Hematologic Condition (specifically low iron in blood with enlarged red corpuscles), Bladder Cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2018
- Citation
- 1803846
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 1803846.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a psychiatric disability due to insufficient evidence of the severity required for higher ratings.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for his diabetes mellitus, a higher rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder, and a total disability rating due to service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart disability, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, but denied service connection for multiple tooth trauma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated his cardiovascular diseases, which were listed as contributing causes of death.
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