The Board found that the veteran did not have service in Vietnam and thus could not be presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. The evidence does not support a finding of diabetes mellitus due to exposure to Agent Orange, as there is no credible evidence showing he was present in Vietnam or had any contact with contaminated water.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service records do not show him being stationed in the Republic of Vietnam and his testimony indicates that he did not set foot on land in Vietnam. The Board concluded that exposure to herbicides could not be presumed due to lack of evidence of duty or visitation in Vietnam, and there is no credible evidence linking diabetes mellitus to Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2006
- Citation
- 0601245
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded the claims for sinus disability, bilateral hip disability, right shoulder disability, hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, skin disability, back disability, bilateral neurological disability of the upper extremities, and bilateral neurological disability of the lower extremities.
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