The Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction was granted. The claims for hypertension were remanded.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the June 2014 rating decision related to herbicide exposure near Ubon Air Base in Thailand during service, which is presumed for Vietnam Era veterans.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease/ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20002703
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (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 20002703.
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 the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date prior to August 8, 2023, for service connection of coronary artery disease/ischemic heart disease and Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on housebound criteria.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, coronary artery disease/ischemic heart disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, all of which are presumed to be related to herbicide exposure during the Veteran's service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a higher evaluation for coronary artery disease/ischemic heart disease prior to December 14, 2017, and from April 1, 2018 is dismissed due to the death of the appellant.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease/ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus were denied because the new evidence submitted did not show a nexus between his conditions and service, specifically due to the lack of herbicide exposure in Okinawa.
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