The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and related conditions due to a lack of evidence supporting presumed exposure to herbicides during the Veteran's service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence that the Veteran had qualifying service in the Republic of Vietnam as defined by applicable law, thus there is no basis to presume Agent Orange exposure occurred.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus, type II, Peripheral neuropathy (secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II), Erectile dysfunction (secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II), Hypertension (secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II), Renal dysfunction (secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II), Hypoglycemia (secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 2, 2009
- Citation
- 0907537
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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