The Board has determined that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service and granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, and ischemic heart disease based on this exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's role as an assault boat coxswain and his presence aboard a ship operating in Vietnam's close coastal waters with evidence of smaller craft delivering troops ashore entailed him going ashore with landing craft. The Board found that the Veteran met the requirements for a presumption of service connection due to exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2018
- Citation
- 1802177
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 1802177.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
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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.
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