The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition has not been reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.,Service connection was granted for right and left ankle disabilities based on direct service connection, with the aggravation of pre-existing foot conditions as the basis for the disability.,Diabetes mellitus, bilateral peripheral neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, kidney condition, vertigo, GERD, gout, lung condition, neurological condition, sleep apnea, left shoulder disability, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and left hip disability were all denied due to lack of service connection evidence or secondary service connection.,Right ear condition (manifested by swelling and drainage) was also denied.
The deciding factor: The new evidence does not provide a basis for reopening the claim as it is cumulative and redundant of previous evidence, and does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claims.,The July 2017 VA examination report provided medical opinion that supports direct service connection for right and left ankle disabilities based on their development from pre-existing foot conditions.,For all other conditions, the weight of the evidence is against finding a nexus between the condition and service or secondary to a service-connected disorder.,Right ear condition (manifested by swelling and drainage) was denied as there was no evidence linking it to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart condition, Right ankle disability, Left ankle disability, Diabetes mellitus, Bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, Diabetic retinopathy, Kidney condition, Vertigo, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Gout, Lung disability manifested by spots in the lung, Neurological condition manifested by tremors, Sleep apnea, Left shoulder disability, Hypertension, Erectile dysfunction, Left hip disability, Right ear condition (manifested by swelling and drainage)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19143420
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 19143420.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for right and left shoulder disabilities, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
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