The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II due to a lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Board found that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure in Thailand or Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have documented exposure to herbicide agents during his service, and the presumption of herbicide agent exposure does not apply as he served at a Royal Thai Air Force Base rather than near the perimeter where such exposure would be presumed. The Board also found that there was no evidence of aggravation of pre-existing diabetes mellitus type II.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19125269
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and penile cancer as there was no evidence of a medical nexus between the Veteran's conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, type II, left eye diabetic retinopathy, left foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right foot diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and coronary artery disease, as well as the Veteran's cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for coronary artery disease to correct duty to assist errors, as there are no adequate medical opinions of record.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.