The Board found that the veteran's porphyria cutanea tarda was not incurred in service and may not be presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to herbicides, as there is no evidence showing it became manifest within one year of his last date of herbicide exposure. The medical opinions were against a connection between the disease and the veteran's Vietnam-era service.
The deciding factor: The interval (1972-1986) between Agent Orange exposure and the initial appearance of porphyria cutanea tarda makes it unlikely that there is a direct cause and effect between the exposure and the illness.
- Claimed conditions
- porphyria cutanea tarda
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2000
- Citation
- 0017458
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 0017458.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an additional addendum opinion to determine whether any associated exceptional or unusual disability is associated with the Veteran's porphyria cutanea tarda.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the effective date of service connection for porphyria cutanea tarda was dismissed due to untimeliness.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including hyperlipidemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver, dizziness, left shoulder pains, and others, as additional development is necessary to address pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
- Dismissed
The appeal concerning entitlement to service connection for porphyria cutanea tarda is dismissed due to the Veteran's passing.
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