The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and chloracne due to Agent Orange exposure for accrued benefits purposes.
The deciding factor: The competent medical evidence of record does not support a finding that the Veteran's conditions had their onset in or were aggravated by active military service, nor can they be presumed to have been incurred in service based on herbicide exposure during his Vietnam service.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus, Peripheral neuropathy, Chloracne
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0906631
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding no evidence that his death was related to any injury or disease in service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, as the evidence did not support the need for insulin or episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring hospitalization.
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