The Veteran's death was caused by CAD, which is presumed to be due to herbicide exposure in service. The Veteran did not have any of the claimed conditions at the time of his death and there is no evidence linking them to service.
The deciding factor: CAD is a listed condition presumptively related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam, but the Veteran did not have diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy, hearing loss, tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, or knee disability at the time of his death and there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, diabetic retinopathy, hearing loss, tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy of all extremities, erectile dysfunction due to diabetes mellitus, type II, bilateral knee disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2014
- Citation
- 1454089
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 1454089.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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