The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to May 17, 2012 for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied. The Board found that the first communication from the Veteran to VA evidencing intent to file a claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus was received on May 17, 2012.
The deciding factor: The effective date for an award based on an original claim shall be fixed in accordance with the facts found, but shall not be earlier than the date of receipt of the application. The November 5, 2008 letter from the Veteran to Senator Lincoln did not meet the required elements of a claim for service connection benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, hypertension, left leg lower extremity neuropathy, right leg lower extremity neuropathy, coronary artery disease (CAD), renal dysfunction/nephropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18150791
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 18150791.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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