The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for a lower back condition and diabetes mellitus, type II, was granted. The claim for erectile dysfunction secondary to diabetes mellitus, type II, as well as the claims for nerve conditions of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, were denied.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, is denied because there is no evidence of herbicide exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure. The Board found that his duties in Thailand did not place him at the perimeter where Agent Orange was used, and thus he cannot establish a link between his diabetes and service.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back condition, diabetes mellitus, type II, erectile dysfunction, nerve condition of bilateral upper extremities, nerve condition of bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 27, 2018
- Citation
- 18153162
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 18153162.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The decision finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.
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