The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was reopened and granted based on evidence showing the condition is due to his time in service.,Service connection for hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and tinnitus were also granted as they are related to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion established a link between the Veteran's diabetes mellitus and his current disabilities of erectile dysfunction and tinnitus. The evidence did not establish any direct service connection for these conditions, but rather found them secondary to the service-connected diabetes mellitus.,For hypertension, the Board considered the lay statements from the Veteran and his family indicating he served in Vietnam, which triggered VA's duty to assist by requiring a medical opinion on whether there was herbicide exposure. The opinion concluded that while there was no direct evidence of service connection for hypertension, it could be related to diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2018
- Citation
- 1804082
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 1804082.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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