The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including respiratory disabilities, skin disabilities, alopecia, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities and lower extremities, due to lack of credible evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents or other confirmed exposures. The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service records do not show service in Vietnam or actual exposure to herbicides during his active duty, and there is no credible evidence supporting such claims. The Board found that the claimed disabilities first manifested more than one year after separation from service and did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.307(a)(3) and 3.309(a).
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory disabilities, skin disability (actinic keratosis, chloracne, skin discoloration, skin lesions, vitiligo), alopecia, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities and bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2021
- Citation
- 21022392
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21022392.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke as there was no evidence of herbicide agent exposure during service and the medical opinions were against a nexus to service.
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