The Veteran's thyroid disorder and heart disability were not found to be service-connected. The asbestos-related respiratory disability was granted a 100% rating effective from November 28, 2017.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of herbicide exposure or other presumptive conditions in the Veteran’s service record, and his current disabilities are not directly related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- thyroid disorder (hypothyroidism), heart disability (coronary artery disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18120223
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18120223.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for residuals of gallbladder removal and remanded the other claims due to insufficient evidence.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for an anxiety disorder was dismissed, and the appeals for service connection for Parkinson's disease, a respiratory condition (COPD), a heart disability (coronary artery disease), rhinitis, diabetes mellitus, type II (diabetes), right lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and right upper extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy were remanded for further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for lymph node cancer and thyroid disorder due to a need for additional evidence and medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, a heart disability (coronary artery disease), and hypertension based on the presumption of herbicide exposure due to the Veteran's service in the territorial waters of Vietnam.
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