The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities, as these conditions were found to be secondary to a service-connected unspecified depressive disorder, which was assigned an effective date of December 12, 2014.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the effective dates for the awards of service connection could not be earlier than the date when entitlement arose, which in this case was December 12, 2014, due to the secondary nature of the conditions and their relation to a service-connected depressive disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- pancreatitis with pseudocyst status-post drainage, diarrhea, and steatorrhea, diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction, left upper extremity (LUE) diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity (RUE) diabetic peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity (LLE) diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity (RLE) diabetic peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2024
- Citation
- A24069124
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating or service connection for any of the claimed conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to a procedural defect in compliance with claims-processing rules.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for diarrhea, as no communication indicating a formal or informal claim for this condition was received prior to March 18, 2024.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and he is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
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