The Veteran's appeal for service connection for diabetic retinopathy has been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings for service-connected diabetes mellitus have been dismissed.,Restoration of 20 percent rating from September 1, 2017 for service-connected sciatic nerve diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity is granted.,Restoration of 20 percent rating from September 1, 2017 for service-connected sciatic nerve diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity is granted.,The Veteran's appeal for more than a 20 percent initial rating for service-connected femoral nerve diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity is remanded.,The Veteran's appeal for more than a 20 percent initial rating for service-connected femoral nerve diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeals for these issues with full understanding of the consequences.,The Veteran withdrew his appeals for these issues with full understanding of the consequences.,There are no further allegations or questions remaining for appellate consideration.,There are no further allegations or questions remaining for appellate consideration.,The evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether the reduction was supported by the factual record.,The evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether the reduction was supported by the factual record.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic retinopathy, diabetes mellitus, diabetic peripheral sciatic neuropathy of the right lower extremity, diabetic peripheral sciatic neuropathy of the left lower extremity, femoral diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, femoral diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19137148
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 19137148.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for asthma, hypertension with residuals including stroke, DM II, bilateral amputation of all toes, and diabetic neuropathy to obtain VA medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions.,The Board also remanded the claim for ED as it is inextricably intertwined with the DM II claim.
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