The Veteran's appeal for diabetes mellitus has been withdrawn.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lower back disability prior to January 19, 2017 is denied. The current rating of 40% is maintained.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his lower back disability after January 19, 2017 is remanded due to lack of evidence showing improvement in the condition.,The Veteran's TDIU claim prior to January 19, 2017 is referred to VA’s Director, Compensation Service, for extraschedular consideration.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for diabetes mellitus.,There was no evidence of improvement in the lower back disability after January 19, 2017. The current rating of 40% is maintained as there is no basis to grant a higher rating based on the provided evidence.,The TDIU claim prior to January 19, 2017 was referred to VA’s Director, Compensation Service, for extraschedular consideration.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, lower back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20079872
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 20079872.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
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