The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, obesity, and bilateral knee disorders on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure. Service connection for coronary artery disease is also granted as it is proximately due to the Veteran's obesity.
The deciding factor: The Veteran served in Vietnam and was exposed to herbicides, which are presumed to have caused his diabetes mellitus. Obesity was noted at the time of enlistment and permanently increased during service. The Board found that the Veteran's obesity aggravated his coronary artery disease and bilateral knee disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, obesity, coronary artery disease, right knee disorder (degenerative joint disease, status post total knee arthroplasty), left knee disorder (degenerative joint disease, status post total knee arthroplasty)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2010
- Citation
- 1028479
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 1028479.
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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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