The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is service-connected due to exposure to herbicide agents during active duty in Thailand.,His right upper, left upper, right lower, and left lower extremity neuropathies are secondary to his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus.,His lung disability (including a thoracotomy) is remanded for further examination as the nature of this condition remains unclear.,His hypertension is remanded due to its possible association with exposure to herbicide agents during active duty in Thailand.,The Veteran's left eye disability is remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: Type II diabetes mellitus was diagnosed and presumed service-connected based on exposure to herbicide agents during active duty in Thailand.,Neuropathies are secondary to the service-connected type II diabetes mellitus due to its known association with this condition.,The lung disability is remanded as there is insufficient evidence of record regarding its onset or etiology.,Hypertension was not definitively linked to active duty exposure, but it remains a possibility and requires further examination.,Left eye disability is remanded for evaluation due to the Veteran's reported symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Right Upper Extremity Neuropathy, Left Upper Extremity Neuropathy, Right Lower Extremity Neuropathy, Left Lower Extremity Neuropathy, Lung Disability (Thoracotomy and Residuals), Hypertension, Left Eye Disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19180761
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for type II diabetes mellitus, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity.
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