The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left hand injury, right hand injury, arthritis of cervical and lumbar spine, involuntary bowel movement, involuntary urinary discharge, burns to feet, PTSD, and diabetes mellitus. The diabetes mellitus claim was granted as presumptively related to herbicide exposure in Thailand.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to be due to his service-connected herbicide agent exposure in Thailand.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand injury, right hand injury, arthritis, cervical spine, arthritis, lumbar spine, involuntary bowel movement, involuntary urinary discharge, burns, left foot, burns, right foot, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19128845
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 appeal to obtain a VA medical opinion that considers the Veteran's contentions of in-service training with heavy gear and equipment.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 17, 2022, for the grant of service connection for PTSD.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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