The Veteran's claim of service connection for diabetes was denied in the February 2010 Board decision. New evidence received since then is not material to reopen this claim.,Right ear tinnitus was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest within a year after discharge, nor is there continuity of symptomatology or etiological link to service. The Veteran's current right ear tinnitus is rated at 10 percent disabling under DC 7122 for arthralgia or other pain, numbness, or cold sensitivity.,Frostbite residuals of the left and right hands have been rated at 10 percent since May 11, 2016. The Veteran's current condition includes arthralgia, numbness, and cold sensitivity with tissue loss from frostbite. A higher rating is not warranted as there are no additional symptoms such as nail abnormalities, color changes, locally impaired sensation, hyperhidrosis, or x-ray abnormalities.
The deciding factor: The new evidence does not provide any information that would raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim of service connection for diabetes. The Veteran's glucose levels were normal during service and did not show pre-diabetic range.,Right ear tinnitus was not shown as chronic in service, nor is there continuity of symptomatology or etiological link to service. The current condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DC 7122 due to lack of additional symptoms such as nail abnormalities, color changes, locally impaired sensation, hyperhidrosis, or x-ray abnormalities.,The Veteran's frostbite residuals have tissue loss and are rated at 20 percent since May 11, 2016. However, the current condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there are no additional symptoms such as nail abnormalities, color changes, locally impaired sensation, hyperhidrosis, or x-ray abnormalities.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II (diabetes), right ear tinnitus, frostbite residuals of the left hand, frostbite residuals of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2023
- Citation
- 23011517
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 23011517.
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- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes is granted as service-connected due to in-service herbicide agent exposure. The Board finds the pre-decisional record inadequate for evaluating certain Parkinson's disease residuals and remands for further examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and peripheral neuropathy due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain relevant exposure information. The AOJ is instructed to conduct additional development as outlined in the decision.
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