The Veteran's claim for service connection for high cholesterol, secondary to diabetes mellitus is denied.,The Veteran's initial rating for diabetes mellitus remains at 20% and is not increased.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, secondary to diabetes mellitus is remanded due to a duty to assist error.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart disability (ischemic heart disease), due to Agent Orange exposure is remanded due to a duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence that the Veteran’s high cholesterol results in any functional impairment, and it is not itself a disability for VA purposes.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus does not require regulation of activities or one or more daily injections of insulin. Therefore, an initial rating in excess of 20 percent is not warranted.,An addendum medical opinion should be obtained upon remand to correct the duty to assist error regarding hypertension and its secondary service connection.,The VA examiner did not address the Veteran's heart condition as ischemic heart disease due to Agent Orange exposure, thus a remand for an addendum opinion is necessary.
- Claimed conditions
- High Cholesterol, Hypertension, Heart Disability (Ischemic Heart Disease)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- A20018957
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A20018957.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
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- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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