The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes, lung disorder, chronic kidney disease, actinic keratosis, neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, hypertension, sleep apnea, and hepatitis C are all denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to military service or Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was not exposed to Agent Orange during his service in Thailand, and there is insufficient evidence to support a finding of herbicide exposure at the perimeter of Ubon Air Force Base where he served as a fuel systems maintenance specialist. The Board also found no medical evidence linking any of the conditions to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- type 2 diabetes mellitus (diabetes), lung disorder, chronic kidney disease, actinic keratosis, neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, hepatitis C
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20027494
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 20027494.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- 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.
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