The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including pneumonia, depression, diabetes mellitus, a bilateral foot disability, and skin disabilities were denied as the evidence did not establish full-body exposure to mustard gas or Lewisite during his active duty. The Board found no presumptive service connection based on mustard gas exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to lack of credible evidence of full-body exposure to mustard gas/Lewisite, which is a prerequisite for the application of the VA regulations governing such claims. Additionally, there was no evidence showing that any of the claimed conditions were related to his active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lung disability (pneumonia), depression, diabetes mellitus, bilateral foot disability, facial scar, skin disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2015
- Citation
- 1511102
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 1511102.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- 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.
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