The veteran's claims for service connection for familial adenosis polyposis syndrome, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, coronary artery disease, and PTSD were denied as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service or exposure to Agent Orange.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence indicated that the veteran's diabetes mellitus was causally related to an October 2004 Whipple procedure for nonservice-connected familial adenosis polyposis syndrome with colon cancer, and not secondary to presumed exposure to Agent Orange. The record contained no probative evidence of peripheral neuropathy, coronary artery disease, or PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- familial adenosis polyposis syndrome with colon cancer, resection of large intestines, total colectomy, pancreatic duodenectomy, and esophagitis gastritis, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, coronary artery disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2008
- Citation
- 0816693
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,013 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0816693.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Whole decision: 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.
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