The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper and bilateral lower extremities, and chronic lymphedema. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were first shown during or within one year after service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus until 1994, which was more than a decade after service discharge. There was no evidence of chronic disability other than diarrhea in the post-service records from February and November 1989. The Veteran's self-reported history was inconsistent with the objective findings at his service separation examination.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, chronic lymphedema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2018
- Citation
- 1819706
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 1819706.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- 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.
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