The Veteran's appeal for service connection for glaucoma as secondary to diabetes mellitus has been dismissed.,Service connection for prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure is denied.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure is denied.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities as secondary to diabetes mellitus is not addressed, as service connection for diabetes mellitus has been denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for glaucoma as secondary to diabetes mellitus during a hearing. The Board found insufficient evidence to support herbicide exposure in Thailand and thus denied the claim.,There is no probative evidence of herbicide exposure, and service connection cannot be granted based on this theory. Prostate cancer and diabetes were not shown to be related to service or due to herbicide exposure.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence of a disease in service or within the first post-service year. The Veteran's prostate cancer and peripheral neuropathy are also not linked to his diabetes.,The claim for secondary service connection for bilateral lower extremity neuropathy due to diabetes mellitus cannot proceed because the Veteran does not have service-connected diabetes.
- Claimed conditions
- glaucoma, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19154948
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 19154948.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
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