The veteran's diabetes mellitus, type 2, and an eye disorder are granted service connection as they are presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure during his military service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence shows that the veteran was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Korea near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is a recognized basis for presumptive service connection under VA law.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus, type 2, Eye disorder (secondary to diabetes mellitus, type 2)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2009
- Citation
- 0903323
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,293 · Granted: 17% (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 0903323.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma was denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bladder cancer, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and an acquired psychiatric disability (unspecified depressive disorder), but denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings to cure a pre-decisional duty to assist error related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 and erectile dysfunction. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea was remanded.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.