The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, myelodysplastic syndrome, and abdominal aortic aneurism have been granted. Claims for colon cancer, chronic renal disease, polycystic kidney disease (claimed as kidney failure), cerebrovascular accident (claimed as stroke), COPD, atrial fibrillation, and emphysema are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's service connection claims were at least in equipoise for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, myelodysplastic syndrome, abdominal aortic aneurism, colon cancer, chronic renal disease, polycystic kidney disease (claimed as kidney failure), cerebrovascular accident (claimed as stroke), COPD, atrial fibrillation, and emphysema due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, myelodysplastic syndrome, abdominal aortic aneurism, colon cancer, chronic renal disease, polycystic kidney disease (claimed as kidney failure), cerebrovascular accident (claimed as stroke), COPD, atrial fibrillation, emphysema
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19187731
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19187731.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current respiratory disability and active duty service. The VA examiner concluded that the COPD was more likely due to tobacco use rather than asbestos exposure in service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
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