The Veteran's claim for service connection for benign prostate hypertrophy, CAD, anxiety disorder, right lower extremity varicose veins, diabetes mellitus, difficulty swallowing (residual of stroke), abnormal speech (residual of stroke), peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction secondary to diabetes mellitus has been denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic retinopathy has also been denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding that any of the claimed conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service, including exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Benign Prostate Hypertrophy, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Anxiety Disorder, Right Lower Extremity Varicose Veins, Diabetes Mellitus, Difficulty Swallowing (Residual of Stroke), Abnormal Speech (Residual of Stroke), Peripheral Neuropathy of Left Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of Right Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of Left Upper Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of Right Upper Extremity, Erectile Dysfunction (Secondary to Diabetes Mellitus), Diabetic Retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19105268
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19105268.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for anxiety disorder and TBI were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied eligibility to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a March 2024 rating decision because the March 2024 rating decision was an initial decision granting service connection for anxiety disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal was granted for various disabilities, including service connection for depressive disorder and increased evaluations for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting multiple nerve groups. A SMC based on need for aid and attendance was also awarded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of December 12, 2017 for the award of service connection for dry eye syndrome. The issue of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for dry eye syndrome is remanded.
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