The Veteran's claim for service connection for vitiligo, claimed as an autoimmune disorder, is granted. The Board finds that the evidence supports a finding of in-service herbicide exposure and current diagnosis of vitiligo. High blood pressure, skin disability (including seborrheic keratosis), and traumatic brain injury are remanded due to lack of medical records and need for further examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any treatment or diagnosis of vitiligo. However, the Veteran has been exposed to herbicides during his military service in Vietnam. The private physician provided a nexus opinion linking the current vitiligo to herbicide exposure. As such, the Board finds that there is at least an equipoise of evidence supporting the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- vitiligo, high blood pressure, seborrheic keratosis, neuropathy of the right upper extremity, traumatic brain injury
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18103319
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 18103319.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disorder, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes mellitus due to errors in development of the claim.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral lower and upper extremity neuropathies, finding that they are related to his in-service herbicide exposure (Agent Orange).
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board making a decision.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.