The Veteran's death was caused by cardiomyopathy, diabetes, and hypertension. The Board found that the Veteran had active service in the Republic of Vietnam and established a causal nexus between his active service and his death due to diabetes. Service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's active service included time spent in Thailand, where he was exposed to herbicide agents (likely Agent Orange). The Veteran reported setting foot in Vietnam during this period, and his diabetes significantly contributed to his death. As the evidence supported these findings, service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus type II (diabetes), hypertension
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19187780
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (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 19187780.
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.
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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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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