The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, type II; pulmonary disorder (including a pulmonary diffusion defect and emphysema); peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity; peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity; thyroid disorder (including thyroid cancer and a thyroid nodule); and skin cancer are all granted due to herbicide exposure in Thailand. The Veteran's lung nodules claim is remanded for further examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicides during service at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, which qualifies him for presumed exposure under VA policy.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, pulmonary disorder (including a pulmonary diffusion defect and emphysema), peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, thyroid disorder (including thyroid cancer and a thyroid nodule), skin cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- A20019438
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 A20019438.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The decision finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted on a secondary basis with obesity serving as an intermediate step due to service-connected low back disability, sciatica, and right shoulder disabilities.
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