The Veteran's Parkinson's disease, bilateral hearing loss, back disability, dementia, PTSD, and degenerative lumbar spine condition are all granted as service-connected due to in-service exposure to Agent Orange. The cause of death is also attributed to the Veteran's Parkinson's disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner confirmed that the Veteran had features consistent with Parkinson’s disease prior to any anti-psychotic medication, and his death certificate listed Parkinson's disease as the cause of death. His in-service stressors for PTSD were found to be credible based on his fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.
- Claimed conditions
- Parkinson's disease, bilateral hearing loss, back disability, dementia, PTSD, degenerative disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068693
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 issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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