The Board has reopened the claims for diabetes mellitus, type II, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and ischemic heart disease due to presumed exposure to herbicides during service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service in Vietnam presumptively exposed him to Agent Orange, which associates with diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and ischemic heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2017
- Citation
- 1754562
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 1754562.
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 service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
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