The Board denied service connection for gastrointestinal disorder, including GERD and irritable bowel syndrome, prostate cancer, skin condition (keratosis), and diabetes mellitus due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service. The Board found that there was no exposure to herbicides during service.,Service connection is not granted as the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any of the claimed conditions are related to active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners concluded that the Veteran did not have these conditions during or immediately after his military service, and there was no credible evidence linking them to his time in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes Mellitus, Gastrointestinal Disorder, Prostate Cancer, Skin Condition
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19163432
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19163432.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal was granted for various disabilities, including service connection for depressive disorder and increased evaluations for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting multiple nerve groups. A SMC based on need for aid and attendance was also awarded.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension and prostate cancer residuals (voiding dysfunction) have been granted increased ratings of 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC at the rate of 50% for his service-connected conditions from April 20, 2020 to June 7, 2021.
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