The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for HIV, peptic ulcer disease/GERD, type II diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, but granted an effective date of December 18, 2020, for the grants of service connection for peripheral neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were denied as there was no pending claim for service connection prior to August 13, 2018, when he filed a VA Form 21-526EZ seeking service connection for HIV. The effective date cannot be earlier than the date of receipt of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Peptic ulcer disease/gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Type II diabetes mellitus, Hypertension, Right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, Left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, Right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, Left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2025
- Citation
- A25043288
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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