Service connection is granted for diabetes mellitus, type II and coronary artery disease. Service connection is also granted for chronic kidney disease, right eye diabetic retinopathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as secondary to service-connected diabetes. Service connection is granted for congestive heart failure as secondary to coronary artery disease. The case is remanded for additional opinions on toxic optic neuropathy with altitudinal visual field defect and a heart disorder other than coronary artery disease.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his service-connected diabetes, which is presumed due to in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, right eye diabetic retinopathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, congestive heart failure
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2022
- Citation
- A22025109
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 A22025109.
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.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed as the appellant withdrew their request for a hearing and to continue with the appeal.
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