The Board finds that the Veteran's service on a deep-water naval vessel in waters off the shore of Vietnam does not constitute service in the Republic of Vietnam, and thus cannot establish presumptive exposure to herbicides. However, it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's Parkinson's disease was incurred during his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish that the Veteran went ashore or served on ships operating primarily or exclusively on Vietnam's inland waterways, thus he cannot be presumed to have been exposed to herbicides based on his service aboard USS Blandy.
- Claimed conditions
- Parkinson's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 21, 2017
- Citation
- 1705061
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 1705061.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (o) rate and SMC at the (r)(2) rate, effective January 19, 2025. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected conditions warrant these awards due to his need for aid and attendance.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, headaches, an acquired psychiatric disorder (other specified trauma and stressor related disorder and PTSD), and Parkinson's disease. The conditions are presumed to be due to exposure in service.,Service connection is established for all four claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including Parkinson's disease and related disabilities of the upper and lower extremities, have caused loss of use in both hands and need for aid and attendance due to his lower extremity disability, kidney disease, and neurogenic bladder. The Board has granted SMC based on these findings.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation and service connection was denied due to a late filing of the Board Appeal request.
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