The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for type-II diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy, claimed as loss of eyesight, based on alleged exposure to herbicide agents during his service aboard a naval ship off the coast of Vietnam. The Board found that the appellant did not have 'service in the Republic of Vietnam' for purposes of VA compensation benefits.
The deciding factor: The appellant's service was determined to be outside the definition of 'service in the Republic of Vietnam,' as he never visited or performed duties within Vietnamese borders, and his ship never moored in a Vietnamese port. Therefore, the presumptions related to herbicide exposure did not apply.
- Claimed conditions
- type-II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2004
- Citation
- 0404848
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 0404848.
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