The claim of entitlement to service connection for depression has been reopened.,Claims for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for right upper extremity peripheral diabetic neuropathy with carpal tunnel syndrome, right lower extremity peripheral diabetic neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral diabetic neuropathy have all been dismissed as freestanding claims. The original decisions granting these conditions were final.,The claim of entitlement to an earlier effective date prior to March 31, 2014, for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus has been dismissed as a freestanding claim. The original decision granting this condition was final.,The claim of entitlement to an earlier effective date prior to March 31, 2014, for the grant of service connection for erectile dysfunction has been dismissed as a freestanding claim. The original decision granting this condition was final.,The claim of entitlement to an earlier effective date prior to February 17, 2013, for the grant of service connection for left knee patellofemoral syndrome has been dismissed as a freestanding claim. The original decision granting this condition was final.
The deciding factor: The evidence received since the August 2014 rating decision includes a January 2018 favorable medical opinion linking the Veteran's depression to service, which relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim of entitlement to service connection for depression.,These claims are dismissed as freestanding because they raise issues that have already been decided and are not new or material evidence. The original decisions granting these conditions were final.,The March 2014 decision granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, but the Veteran did not appeal it within one year of its issuance. Therefore, this claim is also considered a freestanding claim as it raises issues that have already been decided and are not new or material evidence.,The March 2014 decision granted service connection for erectile dysfunction, but the Veteran did not appeal it within one year of its issuance. Therefore, this claim is also considered a freestanding claim as it raises issues that have already been decided and are not new or material evidence.,The February 2013 decision granted service connection for left knee patellofemoral syndrome, but the Veteran did not appeal it within one year of its issuance. Therefore, this claim is also considered a freestanding claim as it raises issues that have already been decided and are not new or material evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, right upper extremity peripheral diabetic neuropathy with carpal tunnel syndrome, right lower extremity peripheral diabetic neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral diabetic neuropathy, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, left knee patellofemoral dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19193843
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (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 19193843.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
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