The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is not service-connected due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents and no evidence of chronicity in service.,The retina disability is not service-connected as it is not secondary to a service-connected condition or related to an in-service injury or disease.,Bladder cysts are not service-connected as there was no evidence of chronicity in service, nor any connection to herbicide exposure.,Prostate cancer is not service-connected due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents and no evidence of chronicity in service.,Skin cancer is not service-connected due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents and no evidence of chronicity in service.,Vitiligo is not service-connected as there was no evidence of chronicity in service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have documented exposure to herbicide agents during his service, which is a requirement for presumptive service connection under the Agent Orange Act. Additionally, the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions began or were otherwise related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, retina disability (including scars, atrophy, and irregularities), bladder cysts, prostate cancer, skin cancer, vitiligo
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 12, 2019
- Citation
- A19000319
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,863 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19000319.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
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