The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for diabetes mellitus, left and right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, and higher ratings for residuals of a gunshot wound to the left leg with fractured tibia and fibula, injury to muscle group XII, shortening of the leg, damage to the peroneal nerve, radiculopathy, and diabetic neuropathy, but granted an initial 20% rating for right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The effective date for service connection was based on the date of claim or entitlement arose, whichever is later. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet all eligibility criteria for a liberalized benefit and thus denied earlier effective dates. For ratings, the Board considered the severity of symptoms and assigned ratings accordingly.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, residuals of a gunshot wound to the left leg with fractured tibia and fibula, injury to muscle group XII, shortening of the leg, damage to the peroneal nerve, radiculopathy, and diabetic neuropathy, residuals of a gunshot wound to the right forearm, status post fractured ulna and injury to muscle group VII, right elbow flexion limitation, right ulnar neuropathy with forearm atrophy, status post gunshot wound
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2025
- Citation
- 25013629
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 622 · Granted: 17% (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 25013629.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
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