The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus type II, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety and depression), eye disorders, shortness of breath, hypertension, kidney disorder, heart disorder, neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, are all denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to the claimed conditions. The earliest documented diagnosis for diabetes mellitus type II was in 2015, more than 30 years after discharge from active duty. There is no medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety and depression), eye disorder (including cataracts), shortness of breath, hypertension, kidney disorder (secondary to diabetes mellitus), heart disorder (secondary to diabetes mellitus), neuropathy of the right upper extremity (secondary to diabetes mellitus), neuropathy of the left upper extremity (secondary to diabetes mellitus), neuropathy of the right lower extremity (secondary to diabetes mellitus), neuropathy of the left lower extremity (secondary to diabetes mellitus)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2021
- Citation
- 21024389
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 21024389.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
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