The Board has determined that the Veteran served on and around the perimeter of U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. As a result, he is presumed to have been exposed to herbicides during his service. The Board finds that the Veteran's current diagnoses of ischemic heart disease (including coronary artery disease) and diabetes mellitus are associated with this exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran served on and around the perimeter of U-Tapao RTAFB, which was subject to herbicide use as part of base security. His service records confirm his proximity to the perimeter road where he worked on B-52s with unexploded munitions. The Board finds this establishes presumptive exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 18, 2017
- Citation
- 1727957
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 1727957.
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 claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- 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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