The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus and a dental disorder was denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions, and the Board found that service connection could not be established based on the presumptions related to herbicide agent exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have a current disability of diabetes mellitus or a dental disorder for which compensation is payable. The claim for diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis, and the presumptions of service connection due to herbicide agent exposure do not apply given the Veteran's lack of in-service presence in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, dental disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2018
- Citation
- 1802045
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 1802045.
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.
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- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus; granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and skin cancer; and restored the 10 percent rating for hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and sleep apnea to obtain a TERA opinion due to the Veteran's participation in a toxic exposure risk activity during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.
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