The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including malignant melanoma, lymphoma, tinnitus, obesity, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss disability, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right feet, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and sleep apnea have all been denied. The denial is based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any other relevant factor.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not serve in Vietnam and there is no affirmative evidence that he was exposed to herbicides. Additionally, the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any of the claimed conditions had their onset during service or are otherwise related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Malignant Melanoma","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service"}, {"condition_name":"Lymphoma","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service"}, {"condition_name":"Tinnitus","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service"}, {"condition_name":"Obesity","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not a disability for VA compensation purposes"}, {"condition_name":"Diabetes Mellitus","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service, not secondary to exposure to AO/herbicides and/or morbid obesity"}, {"condition_name":"Erectile Dysfunction","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service, not secondary to diabetes mellitus"}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service"}, {"condition_name":"Peripheral Neuropathy of the Left Foot","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service, not secondary to exposure to AO/herbicides and/or diabetes mellitus"}, {"condition_name":"Peripheral Neuropathy of the Right Foot","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service, not secondary to exposure to AO/herbicides and/or diabetes mellitus"}, {"condition_name":"Ischemic Heart Disease","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service, not secondary to exposure to AO/herbicides"}, {"condition_name":"Hypertension","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not related to service, not secondary to diabetes mellitus and/or ischemic heart disease"}, {"condition_name":"Sleep Apnea","diagnosis_date":null,"relationship_to_service":"Not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20066995
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Remanded (sent back)
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- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myasthenia gravis based on the Veteran's exposure to hazardous substances during his military service.
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