The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus. However, the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam or have any documented exposure to herbicide agents such as Agent Orange during his military service. The weight of the evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's currently diagnosed conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied because there was no evidence of herbicide exposure and the current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, peripheral neuropathy of upper and lower extremities, kidney disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2014
- Citation
- 1449310
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 1449310.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- 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 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as presumptively related to his service in the Gulf War, specifically aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Mataco.
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