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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a restoration of the separate 10 percent rating for vertigo, an earlier effective date for service connection for vertigo and migraines, and a 30 percent rating for hypothyroidism with heart murmur. The decision also denied an earlier effective date for hypertension and remanded claims for obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and individual unemployability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and bilateral knee strain to obtain additional medical opinions.
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