The Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus type 2 and diabetic neuropathies of the lower extremities. The claim for earlier effective date for diabetes is denied as there was no pending claim prior to May 16, 2005. Service connection for the cause of death is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his diabetes mellitus type 2 and diabetic neuropathies of the lower extremities, contributed substantially or materially to his death from probable acute aspiration due to gastroesophageal reflux with other significant conditions leading to death.
- Claimed conditions
- dementia (presumptive due to Agent Orange exposure), diabetes mellitus type 2, diabetic neuropathies of the lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22015822
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 22015822.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions are inadequate, and thus remands are required to determine if the Veteran's sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus type 2 are caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
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