The Veteran's service connection claim for a left eye cataract, secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, is granted. However, the claim for chronic fatigue syndrome and bradycardia (secondary to hepatitis C and diabetes mellitus) is denied.,Service connection for a left eye disability other than a cataract is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is found to be the primary cause of his left eye cataract, as supported by medical literature indicating that cortical cataracts occur more often and earlier in patients with diabetes mellitus.,There is no diagnosed case of CFS or a disability manifested by dizziness and fatigue during the appeal period. The Veteran's symptoms are attributed to nonservice-connected bradycardia and hypoglycemia.
- Claimed conditions
- Bradycardia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Hepatitis C, Left Eye Cataract
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19190520
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 19190520.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Chronic Dermatitis were denied. The Board found that the Veteran's CFS did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as his symptoms restricted routine daily activities to less than 50 percent of the pre-illness level. For Chronic Dermatitis, the Board determined that topical therapy was sufficient without requiring systemic therapy.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable initial rating for Hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's condition was asymptomatic and did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and an increased rating for PTSD have been denied. Service connection for CFS was not granted due to lack of a diagnosed condition, while the PTSD claim had its initial evaluation reduced from 30% to 50% effective April 29, 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection claims have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for PTSD, denied service connection for CFS, mast cell activation syndrome, and sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD, and remanded TDIU.
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