The Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and diabetes mellitus have been denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after her military service, and they are not related to any service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities, low back disability, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities (left and right) have been remanded as there is insufficient evidence regarding functional loss during flare-ups or with repeated use over time.
The deciding factor: There was no in-service diagnosis or treatment for vertigo or diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's service records do not indicate any chronic conditions that could be presumed to have developed due to military service, and there is insufficient evidence linking these conditions to her current service-connected disabilities.,The claims for increased ratings are remanded as the VA examiner did not address functional loss during flare-ups or with repeated use over time. The Veteran's representative argued that the examination lacked sufficient detail necessary to rate the knees, low back disability, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities.
- Claimed conditions
- Vertigo, Diabetes Mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18158626
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 18158626.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine disability, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left foot crush injury, and sciatic radiculopathy of both lower extremities, also secondary to the newly service-connected lumbar spine disability. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for depressive disorder with unspecified anxiety disorder and a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, effective August 28, 2018, due to clear and unmistakable error in the October 2018 rating decision. Service connection was also granted for major depressive disorder (MDD) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- 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 claim for a higher evaluation for service-connected vertigo, finding that the evidence did not support an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.
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