The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II on a presumptive basis due to in-service herbicide exposure during the Vietnam Era.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's MOS duties placed him near the perimeter of Udorn RTAFB, and his lay statements supported this. The RO found he was exposed to herbicides but did not confirm it. Resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran, presumptive service connection is granted.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus Type II
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066488
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 20066488.
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.
- Granted
Service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II is granted. The Board also found that service connection should be granted for hypertension and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as secondary to the Veteran's diabetes mellitus.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for higher ratings of tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and right shoulder disability. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus Type II is granted as secondary to his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus Type II and hypertension are granted as service-connected due to presumptive exposure in Thailand, a location where herbicide agents were presumed to have been present.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient compliance with previous remands and additional development is needed, including research on potential exposure to herbicides and decontamination procedures. The claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II will be reconsidered.
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