The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, pancreatic cancer, and a lower extremity condition due to herbicide exposure. The evidence did not show a diagnosis of type II diabetes mellitus or any chronic disease related to service or herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: There was no diagnosis of type II diabetes mellitus in the Veteran's records, and his death certificate noted that diabetes played a role in his death but did not confirm it. The Board found that the presumptive provisions for herbicide exposure were not available as there was no diagnosis of type II diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, pancreatic cancer, lower extremity condition (including peripheral neuropathy and deep vein thrombosis)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191208
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 19191208.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 pancreatic cancer as there was no evidence of a nexus between the in-service toxic exposure and the current condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
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