The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic sinusitis was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The claims for diabetes mellitus, type II; bipartite patella and degenerative joint disease of the right knee; bipartite patella and degenerative joint disease of the left knee; right knee instability; left knee instability from October 31, 2014; and symptomatic removal of right knee semilunar cartilage were all granted with a 10 percent disability rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, was diagnosed after discharge from active duty service. The evidence did not show that the condition had its onset or was incurred during service. The Board found no credible evidence linking the current diagnosis to service and denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic sinusitis, diabetes mellitus, type II, bipartite patella and degenerative joint disease of the right knee, bipartite patella and degenerative joint disease of the left knee, right knee instability, left knee instability, symptomatic removal of right knee semilunar cartilage
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006345
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 20006345.
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 withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The decision finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted on a secondary basis with obesity serving as an intermediate step due to service-connected low back disability, sciatica, and right shoulder disabilities.
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