The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and related conditions are denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,Service connection for diabetic retinopathy is also denied as there is no direct or secondary link to the Veteran's diabetes.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran was not exposed to herbicide agents during his service and thus could not establish a presumptive service connection. The medical evidence did not support a finding of in-service exposure to Agent Orange.,There is no direct or secondary link between the Veteran's diabetes and any of the conditions he claims are related to it.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, diabetic retinopathy, cystoid macular edema, macular hole, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Peyronie’s disease, an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19191204
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 19191204.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and pernicious anemia, and the Board dismissed both appeals.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as the appellant does not have a documented history of recurrent or refractory esophageal stricture(s).
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable disability rating for right inguinal hernia surgery and service connection for a low back disability, as well as remanded the claims for service connection for GERD and entitlement to an increased rating for hypertension.
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