The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and lumbar spine disorder were denied as they are not shown to be causally related to service or service-connected conditions.,Service connection was also denied for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities due to lack of a nexus between these conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is not shown to be causally related to service or service-connected hypertension. The Board found that there was no evidence of undiagnosed symptoms in service and the diagnosis did not manifest until years after separation.,Regarding the lumbar spine disorder, the VA examiner opined it is less likely than not incurred during service due to lack of documented complaints, treatment, or diagnoses referable to such disorder. The Veteran's assertion that his back pain started during service was not considered as he had been out of military service for much longer than the 13 years he served.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, lumbar spine disorder, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2022
- Citation
- 22010296
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 22010296.
What this means for you
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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 withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The decision finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted on a secondary basis with obesity serving as an intermediate step due to service-connected low back disability, sciatica, and right shoulder disabilities.
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