The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and an increased rating for his lumbosacral spine DDD. The claim for service connection was denied due to insufficient evidence of a current disability, while the increased rating claim was denied as there is no evidence that the Veteran’s condition has worsened beyond what is contemplated by the current 40% rating.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of erectile dysfunction and thus did not meet the threshold requirement for service connection. For the increased rating claim, the Board noted that the Veteran's lumbosacral spine DDD has been rated at 40% since March 12, 2012, which is the highest possible rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- erectile dysfunction, lumbosacral spine DDD (degenerative disc disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19189682
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · Granted: 26% (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 19189682.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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 Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus type II (DM II), hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to service-connected DM II. The Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during active service is presumed.
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