The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II, both secondary to herbicide exposure while serving at the U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB). The claims for tension headaches and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to lack of a medical opinion regarding their etiology.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides in Thailand, including during his service at the U-Tapao RTAFB. Given this exposure, the Board granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II as secondary to herbicide exposure. The claims for tension headaches and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded because there is no medical opinion linking these conditions to service or to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, Diabetes mellitus type II, Tension headaches, Acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19139743
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19139743.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 30 percent prior to July 18, 2014, and a higher than 60 percent rating thereafter for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to incomplete evidence. The examiner needs to provide more detailed information about the severity of his service-connected condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's initial evaluation for tension headaches to include migraines is granted, with a rating of 50 percent effective from May 23, 2023.
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