The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, back disability, neck disability, right foot disability, Meniere's disease, and gastrointestinal disability (GERD). The Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of any of these conditions at the time of the decision. The Board found that there was no evidence of continuity of symptomatology or in-service incurrence for any of these disabilities.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence showed that the Veteran did not have a current disability, and his assertions of continuity of symptoms were not credible given the lack of medical records documenting such prior to many years after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, back disability (degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine), neck disability (cervical strain), right foot disability (metatarsalgia of the right foot), Meniere’s disease, gastrointestinal disability (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19150547
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded the claims for sinus disability, bilateral hip disability, right shoulder disability, hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, skin disability, back disability, bilateral neurological disability of the upper extremities, and bilateral neurological disability of the lower extremities.
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