The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, type II, is denied.,Service connection for a low back disability is denied.,Service connection for left hip, right hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities are all denied.,Service connection for skeletal arthritis is denied.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities (left and right) and upper extremities (left and right) is denied.,Service connection for ischemic heart disease is denied.,Service connection for bilateral kidney disability is denied.,Service connection for a bilateral eye condition (diabetic retinopathy) is denied.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support finding that the Veteran has diabetes mellitus, type II, with manifestations warranting an initial rating in excess of 20 percent.,There is no evidence showing a current low back disability or any relationship to service.,No hip, knee, or skeletal arthritis disabilities were found during service and none are shown as related to service.,Peripheral neuropathy was not diagnosed and there is no evidence linking it to service.,Ischemic heart disease and bilateral kidney disability were not found during service and there is no evidence of a relationship to service.,Sleep apnea was not found during service and there is no evidence of a relationship to service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, skeletal arthritis, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, ischemic heart disease, bilateral kidney disability, bilateral eye condition (diabetic retinopathy), sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19137767
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 19137767.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- 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 claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
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