The Veteran's coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 are granted as they are related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents.,The Veteran's diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity is also granted, as it is causally related to his newly service-connected diabetes mellitus type 2.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression, is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service and the diseases are presumed related to such exposure.,Diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity is a secondary condition as it is caused by the newly service-connected diabetes mellitus type 2.,There is no evidence of an in-service psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity, an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2019
- Citation
- A19003401
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A19003401.
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 an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for heart attack, kidney stones, polycythemia vera, diabetes mellitus type 2, and psoriasis is remanded due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
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