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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (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 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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