The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings based on the severity of symptoms and medical findings.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show episodes of acute congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction less than 30 percent, which are required for a higher rating. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus only required restricted diet and one or more daily injections of insulin, meeting the criteria for a 20 percent disability rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary artery disease (CAD), Diabetes mellitus, Peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20081547
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (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 20081547.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and attendance from June 1, 2011, to May 24, 2017, finding that his need for regular aid and attendance was not established during this period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's current coronary artery disease with acute, subacute, or old myocardial infarction with coronary stent is being remanded for further evaluation due to the lack of a medical nexus between his service-connected hypertension and his heart condition.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an initial 70 percent rating for service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity is granted. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to SMC based on a need for aid and attendance.
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