The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The reduction in rating for diabetes mellitus from 40 to 20 percent, effective January 1, 2018, was proper. Service connection has been established for PTSD, diabetic nephropathy, peripheral neuropathies of the sciatic and femoral nerves, prostate cancer residuals, right knee disability, left knee disability, and service-connected conditions that have not resulted in a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The reduction in rating for diabetes mellitus was proper as there was improvement under ordinary conditions of life at the time of the rating reduction.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, right hip disability, left hip disability, diabetes mellitus, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), diabetic nephropathy, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower sciatic nerve, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower sciatic nerve, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower femoral nerve, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower femoral nerve, prostate cancer, right knee disability, left knee disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20070411
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (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 20070411.
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
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The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
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