The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, lung disability (originally claimed as black spots on the lungs), cardiovascular disability (coronary artery disease) to include as secondary to Agent Orange exposure, and diabetes mellitus, type 2. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service or a link between any diagnosed conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The Board found no credible evidence of herbicide agent exposure during the Veteran's service in Korea and Thailand, and thus denied presumptive service connection for his lung disability, cardiovascular disability, and diabetes mellitus. The Board also noted that there was no medical opinion linking any current disabilities to service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, lung disability (black spots on the lungs), cardiovascular disability (coronary artery disease), diabetes mellitus, type 2
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19117153
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (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 19117153.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. Service connection is being remanded for the lumbar spine disability and right knee and calf disabilities.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability related to military service, and for left and right leg radiculopathy secondary to that lumbar disability.
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