The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, finding that exposure to herbicides in Thailand is presumed. The Veteran's current diagnoses are attributed to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The evidence established herbicide exposure during service and the Veteran’s current conditions are linked to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065689
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 remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
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