The Board has determined that the veteran did not have exposure to herbicide agents during service, and therefore is not entitled to presumptive service connection for diabetes mellitus. The claims of secondary service connection for diabetic retinopathy and cataracts, peripheral neuropathy, and hypertension with renal insufficiency are denied as they are premised on a presumed service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service records do not show any duty in or visitation to the Republic of Vietnam. There is no evidence of herbicide exposure during service, thus precluding presumptive service connection for diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension with renal insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2006
- Citation
- 0608590
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (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 0608590.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
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