The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, finding that his service on a destroyer off the coast of Vietnam did not constitute 'service in the Republic of Vietnam' as defined by VA regulations. As such, he was not entitled to the presumption of exposure to herbicide agents used in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service on board the U.S.S. DeHaven did not involve duty or visitation within the borders of the Republic of Vietnam, and thus does not qualify for the presumptive service connection for diabetes mellitus due to exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2005
- Citation
- 0501635
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 0501635.
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 claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
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- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus; granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and skin cancer; and restored the 10 percent rating for hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and sleep apnea to obtain a TERA opinion due to the Veteran's participation in a toxic exposure risk activity during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.
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