The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for ischemic heart disease and prostate cancer, finding no evidence of herbicide exposure during service. The Veteran was not granted presumptive service connection based on his claimed in-service herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have a confirmed exposure to herbicides during service at U-Tapao Airfield, which is inconsistent with the regulatory definition of Vietnam service and does not meet VA's additional methods for establishing herbicide exposure in Thailand.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20000171
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 various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
- Partly granted
The Board grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is granted an effective date of April 25, 2014, for service connection for prostate cancer.
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