The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, retinopathy, bilateral foot neuropathy, left foot disability, and right foot disability have been granted. Diabetes is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure in service. Retinopathy, bilateral foot neuropathy, left foot disability, and right foot disability are found to be proximately due to the Veteran's now service-connected diabetes.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service and has a current diagnosis of diabetes. His other conditions are found to be related to his service-connected diabetes.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, retinopathy, bilateral foot neuropathy, left foot disability, right foot disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19127432
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right foot disability and left foot disability as the evidence did not support that the preexisting conditions worsened beyond their natural progression during active duty for training (ACDUTRA).
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