The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are all granted.
The deciding factor: Service connection is established based on presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam, which includes diabetes mellitus type II. Bilateral proliferative diabetic retinopathy is found to be secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. Peripheral neuropathy claims are remanded for further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral proliferative diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19136819
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19136819.
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 Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and service connection were dismissed due to his death.
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