The Board found that the Veteran did not have service in Vietnam or along the DMZ of Korea, and thus could not be presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. The claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence linking any claimed conditions to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service records do not show exposure to herbicides or mustard gas, and his assertions are unsupported by credible evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral lower extremity diabetic neuropathy with lumbar radiculopathy, diabetes mellitus, type II, prostate cancer status post radical retropubic prostatectomy and radiation therapy, bilateral hernias, diabetic retinopathy with macular edema and glaucoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2017
- Citation
- 1745796
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 1745796.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The decision finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted on a secondary basis with obesity serving as an intermediate step due to service-connected low back disability, sciatica, and right shoulder disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and left arm tremors. Service connection for right hand tremors is also granted. The Veteran's tinnitus claim was denied as there is no current diagnosis of tinnitus.
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