The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction/impotence are all service-connected as secondary to his in-service herbicide exposure. The Board grants these claims.
The deciding factor: Service connection is granted based on the presumption that Vietnam veterans who served during the relevant time period were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides, which can lead to certain diseases including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction/impotence.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities, impotence (erectile dysfunction)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2014
- Citation
- 1450537
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 1450537.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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