The Veteran's claims of service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, bilateral leg disability (peripheral neuropathy), bilateral foot disability, shoulder disabilities, elbow disability, knee disability, and hand/finger disability have all been denied. The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence to support the conclusion that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The earliest post-service medical records for any of these conditions are over 40 years after service, which weighs against a finding of service incurrence.
- Claimed conditions
- type 2 diabetes mellitus, bilateral leg disability (peripheral neuropathy), bilateral foot disability, bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral elbow disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral hand/finger disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21001531
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 21001531.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a neurological examination to determine if any diagnosed radiculopathy or other neurological disability affecting the lower extremities was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot disability is related to his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a new examination to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding her symptoms during service.
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