The Board finds that the Veteran's current diagnoses of ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, type II are not related to his service or exposure to herbicides in Thailand. As such, these claims for service connection must be denied.
The deciding factor: VA has determined that special consideration should be extended to Veterans serving in Thailand during the Vietnam era due to potential exposure to herbicides used on air base perimeters. The Veteran's service at Ubon RTAFB is not considered presumptively linked to his current conditions as he did not serve near the perimeter of the base.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Heart Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Type II
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2014
- Citation
- 1450820
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1450820.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone is sufficient to grant a TDIU, and his other service-connected disabilities are at least 60% combined. The Veteran also meets the criteria for SMC based on housebound status.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease was granted a 30% disability rating effective August 31, 2010. The condition manifested as cardiac hypertrophy and a workload of greater than 5.0 but less than 7.0 METs without congestive heart failure or LVEF of 50 percent or less.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations and effective dates have been denied. The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are currently rated at 60 percent, 20 percent, and varying percentages respectively.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, ischemic heart disease, diabetic neuropathy, prostate cancer residuals, bilateral diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities (sciatic), and diabetes mellitus Type 2, combine to result in physical or mental impairment that renders him so helpless as to require regular aid and attendance of another person. However, the need for aid and attendance must be determined without considering nonservice-connected disabilities.
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