The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may it be presumed to have been due to herbicide exposure. The Board found no credible evidence of the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during service and concluded that he did not serve on a ship operating in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Veteran served aboard the U.S.S. Bolster from October 1972 to May 1975, but his personnel records show he never went ashore from the ship while it operated in Vietnamese coastal waters. The Board found that this was insufficient for him to benefit from the herbicide exposure presumption.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2014
- Citation
- 1455373
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 1455373.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
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