The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, bilateral cataracts, OSA, TBI with dementia, and peripheral neuropathy are all denied. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service exposure to herbicide agents or a nexus between these conditions and active duty service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied because there was no credible evidence linking his current conditions to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The Board found that the Veteran did not offer probative opinions regarding the etiology of his cataracts or other conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Bilateral Cataracts, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Traumatic Brain Injury with Dementia, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Left Upper Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Right Upper Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Left Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Right Lower Extremity, Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109667
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (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 19109667.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
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