The Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus from December 14, 2012 to the present were denied. The Veteran was also denied entitlement to TDIU due to lack of evidence showing he is unemployable solely by reason of his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no nexus between the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability and service, and that his diabetes mellitus did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes. The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as he failed to demonstrate unemployability solely by reason of his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19103439
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee, right hip, and lumbar spine disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability but denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for his left knee disability prior to April 25, 2019.
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