The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus was not incurred during service and is denied.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating.,The Veteran's hypertension does not warrant a compensable rating.,The Veteran's chronic low back strain with degenerative changes does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent.,The Veteran's gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is remanded for further review.,The Veteran's right knee disability prior to April 16, 2019, and after June 1, 2020, remains on appeal.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of type II diabetes mellitus during or within one year of service. The first evidence for complaints, treatment, or diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type II was in 2009.
- Claimed conditions
- Type II diabetes mellitus, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Bilateral hearing loss, Hypertension, Chronic low back strain with degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22015838
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 22015838.
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 the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
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