The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was denied in September 1986 due to lack of evidence linking the condition to his military service. The claim has been reopened with new and material evidence.,Service connection for coronary artery disease is granted based on exposure to herbicidal agents during service in Thailand, which is presumed for veterans who served in Vietnam-era areas or those exposed to herbicides like Agent Orange.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus, type II was also reopened with new and material evidence. Service connection is granted due to his military service in Thailand where he was exposed to herbicide agents.,Service connection for bladder cancer is denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to exposure to herbicidal agents during service.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss remains denied. The most recent audiometric results do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: New and material evidence was submitted in support of each issue, allowing for reopening of the claims and granting service connection where appropriate.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, bladder cancer, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166207
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (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 19166207.
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 appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
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