The Veteran's former wife, the appellant, is not a proper claimant for compensation for disabilities caused by exposure to herbicide agents. The criteria for such benefits have not been met.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence that the appellant was exposed to herbicide agents in Panama or served in Vietnam or Korea, and thus she does not have standing to file a claim under VA law.
- Claimed conditions
- Type II diabetes mellitus, cataracts, headaches, loss of memory, cervical cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, heart problems, high cholesterol, transient ischemic attack (TIA) mini strokes, head injuries due to falling and dizziness
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19133911
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19133911.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 8, 2022, for the award of service connection for cervical cancer and special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of a creative organ.
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