The Board granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for DM II, left lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The Blue Water Act permits an earlier effective date based on a prior claim if certain criteria are met, which were satisfied in this case.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus, type II (DM II), Left lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, Right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25108358
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 964 · Granted: 37% (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 A25108358.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension is granted a 10 percent rating, and his right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy is granted an 80 percent rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II, and bilateral lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hip disability, right hand sprain, back DJD, neck DJD, bilateral knee DJD, bilateral foot pain, DM II, and OSA as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability or a nexus to service.
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