The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and heart disability (including ischemic heart disease and coronary artery disease with bypass surgery) are granted as presumptively related to herbicide exposure during service in Thailand. Bilateral hearing loss, aortic valve stenosis, arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, palpitations, murmur, hypertension, actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma are presumed due to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service in Thailand during the Vietnam Era is presumed to have exposed him to herbicide agents, which can cause diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The Board found sufficient evidence of exposure based on his time near the perimeter of the base.
- Claimed conditions
- hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, heart disability (including ischemic heart disease and coronary artery disease with bypass surgery), bilateral hearing loss, aortic valve stenosis, arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, palpitations, murmur, hypertension, actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2022
- Citation
- 22003975
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 22003975.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's basal cell carcinoma. The Veteran is seeking service connection for this condition, which he claims was caused by exposure to water-based contaminants at Camp Lejeune during his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
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