The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus, type II is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service.,Service connection for an eye disorder including glaucoma and cataracts is denied because the conditions are not shown to be related to service. The earliest documented diagnosis was 9 years after separation from service.,The Veteran's claim for a bilateral shoulder disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to service. The only mention in STRs were for pseudofolliculitis barbae, not shoulder issues.,Service connection for a left knee disorder is denied because the Veteran did not have any complaints or treatment for this condition during service and has no current diagnosis.,The claim for pseudofolliculitis barbae is denied as there was no mention of this condition in STRs and no current evidence of a disability.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II began during service or is related to service. The earliest documented diagnosis was 9 years after separation from service.,The eye disorder including glaucoma and cataracts is not shown to be related to service as there are no STRs documenting any such condition. The conditions are common results of the progression of diabetes mellitus, which is not service-connected.,There is no evidence showing that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability began during service or is related to service. The only mention in STRs were for pseudofolliculitis barbae, not shoulder issues.,The left knee disorder was not documented in STRs and there is no current medical evidence of a disability. The condition is not shown to be related to service.,Pseudofolliculitis barbae was not mentioned in STRs and there is no current medical evidence showing the Veteran has this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, eye disorder including glaucoma and cataracts, bilateral shoulder disability, left knee disorder, pseudofolliculitis barbae
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19188467
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 940 · Granted: 21% (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 19188467.
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 has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- 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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.