The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II were denied as there was no prior claim filed within one year of separation from active duty, and the earliest possible effective date is February 24, 2015.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not file a formal or informal application for service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II prior to February 24, 2016, which was one year after his separation from active duty. The earliest possible effective date is based on the date of receipt of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type II
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20072426
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 grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's ischemic heart disease, as the previous opinions were found inadequate.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and penile cancer as there was no evidence of a medical nexus between the Veteran's conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to correct a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, specifically to verify the Veteran's assertion of herbicide exposure while working on C-123 aircraft at Clark Air Base from May 1965 to November 1966.
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