The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus and granted it. The Veteran's current diagnoses of coronary artery disease, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral legs, diabetic retinopathy, and arthritis are all found to be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicides in Thailand during service, which is not Vietnam, but he has been granted service connection for diabetes mellitus based on this exposure. The current diagnoses of coronary artery disease, peripheral neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy are found to be secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, diabetic retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2016
- Citation
- 1626291
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 1626291.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- 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 claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
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