10-12 694, 10-12 694

Veteran served on active duty Apr 1966–Sep 1969; service in Republic of Vietnam conceded for herbicide exposure.
VA RO granted service connection for Type II diabetes in May 2009 with an initial 20% rating effective Dec 7, 2007; denied service connection for hypertension.
Veteran asserts hypertension is secondary to his service‑connected Type II diabetes and also alleged Agent Orange causation.
Medical record: no hypertension noted in service or within one year after separation; diabetes and hypertension diagnoses both alleged to date from mid‑1980s; diabetes treated with oral hypoglycemics and diet, not insulin.
VA exams (2010, 2012) found hypertension predated diabetes, no nexus between diabetes and hypertension, and diabetes controlled with oral agents and diet without activity regulation or hospitalizations for ketoacidosis/hypoglycemia.
Peripheral neuropathy and erectile dysfunction are identified as complications; neuropathies are separately service‑connected and compensated; erectile dysfunction is noncompensable and rated with diabetes.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Service connection for hypertension (including secondary to diabetes)	Hypertension is caused by service‑connected diabetes and/or Agent Orange exposure	No in‑service evidence, no nexus showing hypertension caused/aggravated by diabetes or by service/Agent Orange	Denied — preponderance of evidence against service connection
Entitlement to >20% initial rating for Type II diabetes with erectile dysfunction	Diabetes has worsened and warrants a higher rating and/or separate compensable rating for erectile dysfunction	Diabetes has been managed with oral agents and diet only; no insulin, activity regulation, or qualifying hospitalizations; erectile dysfunction noncompensable and rated with diabetes	Denied — 20% appropriate; erectile dysfunction not separately compensable

Scott v. McDonald, 789 F.3d 1375 (Fed. Cir.) (VA Board need not search record for procedural arguments not raised by veteran)
Dickens v. McDonald, 814 F.3d 1359 (Fed. Cir.) (Scott applied to duty to assist arguments)
Holton v. Shinseki, 557 F.3d 1362 (Fed. Cir.) (elements required for service connection and nexus rule)
Walker v. Shinseki, 708 F.3d 1331 (Fed. Cir.) (limits on continuity of symptomatology for chronic conditions)
Stefl v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 120 (Ct. Vet. App.) (permitting direct causation proof for non‑presumptive Agent Orange conditions)
Gilbert v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 49 (Ct. Vet. App.) (preponderance of evidence standard and reasonable doubt rule)
Camacho v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 360 (Ct. Vet. App.) (conjunctive criteria application for VA rating schedules)