The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cirrhosis and an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for diabetic retinopathy.,The evidence did not establish a direct link between the Veteran's active duty service and his diagnosed conditions, nor could it support secondary service connection based on his other service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no medical evidence linking the Veteran's cirrhosis to his active duty service or any of his service-connected disabilities. The VA examiners opined against a direct and secondary service connection.,For diabetic retinopathy, the Board noted that while the Veteran had documented incapacitating episodes requiring treatment visits, these did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the revised rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis, diabetic retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2022
- Citation
- 22047711
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 22047711.
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- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the appeal for accrued benefits and has remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death, as there was a duty to assist error related to obtaining a medical nexus opinion regarding in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for diabetes and diabetic retinopathy were denied. The Board found that the current ratings adequately reflect the severity of his symptoms, including his need for eye injections to treat his diabetic retinopathy.
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