The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus and denied his claim for ischemic heart disease. The reopening is based on new evidence submitted since the May 2009 rating decision, but the claims are still denied as there is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure in Thailand.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no credible evidence to support the Veteran's assertions of herbicide exposure during service and thus could not presume such exposure. The medical records did not show any direct relationship between the conditions and service, including presumed herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2018
- Citation
- 18140109
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 18140109.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- 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.
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