The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus, type I and service connection for his heart disorder other than nonobstructive coronary artery disease were both denied by the Board. The denial is based on insufficient evidence to support either claim.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish that the Veteran’s current heart disorder or diabetes mellitus are directly related to his military service, and there is no clear evidence of a secondary relationship to any service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type I, heart disorder other than nonobstructive coronary artery disease (including sick sinus syndrome resulting in bradycardia with pacemaker implantation)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- November 4, 2020
- Citation
- 20071046
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 20071046.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type I and type II based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE), but found no CUE in the September 2009 rating decision. The Veteran's claim for presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure was not addressed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the VA did not properly consider whether the Veteran's diabetes was caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD, and thus remands the case for further examination to address these issues.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type I; muscle and joint pains with spasms; chronic fatigue syndrome; and cardiovascular disorder. The Board found that there was no current disability related to these conditions, nor did they find a causal relationship between any service-connected disabilities and these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type I and bilateral lower extremity diabetic neuropathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type I.
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