The Veteran's spinocerebellar ataxia is related to presumed exposure to herbicide agents and contaminated water during active service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents and contaminated water during his service in Vietnam and Camp Lejeune, which are presumed exposures. The medical opinions support a link between these exposures and the Veteran's spinocerebellar ataxia.
- Claimed conditions
- spinocerebellar ataxia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19165750
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (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 19165750.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for spinocerebellar ataxia due to in-service toxic exposure. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy is also granted, but the Veteran's claim was reopened on new evidence.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and remanded the cases of spinocerebellar ataxia and tinnitus due to lack of evidence supporting these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's diagnoses and their relation to his service, specifically exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune or herbicides in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Veteran's spinocerebellar ataxia is granted as service connected. Service connection for DDD of the lumbar spine, skin cancer, residuals of a right elbow fracture, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded.
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