The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities as secondary to diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, diverticulitis, visual disorder (dry eye syndrome, cataracts, ocular hypertension), liver disorder (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), and gout all as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The remaining issues are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnoses of erectile dysfunction, diverticulitis, visual disorder, liver disorder, and gout were caused by his now service-connected diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure at Fort McClellan.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity (RUE), peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity (LUE), peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity (RLE), peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity (LLE), erectile dysfunction, diverticulitis, visual disorder (dry eye syndrome, cataracts, ocular hypertension), liver disorder (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), gout
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2024
- Citation
- 24004912
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24004912.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a colon condition, including as caused by herbicide agent exposure or secondary to his service-connected disabilities, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection on any basis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's gout claim for additional development, including obtaining an adequate VA examination and ensuring all relevant records are obtained. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.
- 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.
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