The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy, ischemic heart disease, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, and degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis of the whole body, were denied as there is no credible evidence supporting his assertions of in-service exposure to herbicides or captivity as a prisoner of war. The Veteran's statements are found to be unreliable due to inconsistencies with other evidence of record and facial implausibility.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support the Veteran's claims for service connection based on alleged in-service herbicide exposure or captivity as a prisoner of war, given his inconsistent statements and lack of credible supporting documentation. The benefit of the doubt doctrine is therefore not applicable.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy, ischemic heart disease, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis of the whole body, jungle rot of the bilateral feet, malaria
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2017
- Citation
- 1732752
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 1732752.
What this means for you
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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 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 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as presumptively related to his service in the Gulf War, specifically aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Mataco.
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