The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of back disability. The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents in Vietnam and has current diagnoses of type II diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, bilateral ear disabilities, and lumbar disc disease and osteoarthritis.
The deciding factor: The evidence established the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service and his current diagnoses, leading to presumptive service connection for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Back disability, Type II diabetes mellitus, Coronary artery disease, Bilateral otomycosis, otitis externa, acquired stenosis of the external ear canals, chronic serous otitis media, and eustachian tube dysfunction, Lumbar disc disease and osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20027591
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 20027591.
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 claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition was granted with an effective date of August 1, 2019. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to diesel and gas fuel during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
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