The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is granted service connection on a presumptive basis due to his in-service exposure to herbicides. His coronary artery disease, nephropathy, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathies are also granted as secondary to his service-connected diabetes.
The deciding factor: The Veteran served in the territorial waters of Vietnam during active duty, qualifying for presumed service connection under VA regulations due to his exposure to herbicides.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, nephropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19132954
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are related to Agent Orange exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
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