The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, claimed as due to herbicide exposure, is denied. The Board finds no credible evidence of herbicide exposure during active service and the Veteran does not have confirmed exposure to Agent Orange or other tactical herbicide agent within the meaning of 38 C.F.R. § 3.307 in service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's assertions regarding exposure to herbicides are inconsistent with official records, which show that his ship was docked in Subic Bay and Yankee Station during relevant time periods, not in or around Cam Ranh Bay where he claimed exposure occurred.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2016
- Citation
- 1621159
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 1621159.
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.
- 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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