The Board denied service connection for pancreatitis with pancreatic cyst, diabetes mellitus, and a heart condition as they were not related to the Veteran's military service or exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 10 percent and did not meet the criteria for a total rating based on unemployability.
The deciding factor: The pancreatitis with pancreatic cyst, diabetes mellitus, and heart condition were determined to be unrelated to the Veteran's military service or exposure to Agent Orange due to evidence showing they were caused by alcohol abuse and other factors, rather than being related to herbicide exposure as claimed.
- Claimed conditions
- pancreatitis with pancreatic cyst, diabetes mellitus, heart condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0911493
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for GERD, a heart condition, hypertension, a kidney condition, and obstructive sleep apnea as there is no evidence of current disabilities related to these conditions or that they are etiologically linked to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new medical opinion to address whether the Appellant's heart condition had onset during his period of ACDUTRA service.
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