The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and secondary service connection for cirrhosis of the liver have been granted. Diabetes mellitus type II is presumed to be related to herbicide exposure, while cirrhosis of the liver is linked to the Veteran's now-service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicides during his service in Thailand and has a current diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type II. The Board found that there is a link between insulin resistance (caused by diabetes) and cirrhosis, thus granting secondary service connection for the liver condition.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, cirrhosis of the liver
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19184846
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 service connection for coronary atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, and penile cancer as there was no evidence of a medical nexus between the Veteran's conditions and his military service.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to correct a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, specifically to verify the Veteran's assertion of herbicide exposure while working on C-123 aircraft at Clark Air Base from May 1965 to November 1966.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, right hip degenerative joint disease and rheumatoid arthritis with acetabular cyst status post right total hip replacement, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, fever sores, and a compromised immune system, as the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.
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