The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus and increased ratings for his bilateral ankle disability were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of herbicide exposure or secondary service connection, and that there was no persuasive evidence showing that the Veteran's disabilities were related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's diabetes mellitus could not be linked to his military service due to lack of documented exposure to herbicides. The Board also determined that the ankle disability did not meet criteria for increased ratings as there was no evidence of ankylosis and the current range of motion met existing rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, bilateral ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2022
- Citation
- 22064815
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 22064815.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
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