The Veteran's claims for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder; other specified trauma related disorder, diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease), and peripheral neuropathy upper extremities have been granted. The claim for hypertension has been dismissed as moot.,Service connection is established for diabetes mellitus due to herbicide agent exposure and arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease) based on in-service exposure. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy upper extremities, lower extremities, and acne remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service records confirm his service in Thailand during the Vietnam era, which is considered a presumptive area of herbicide agent exposure. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current psychiatric symptoms are related to his military service.,The Veteran was exposed to herbicides while serving at U-Tapao RTAFB and has been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease). These conditions are presumed due to herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease), hypertension, peripheral neuropathy upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy lower extremities, acne
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23064258
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 23064258.
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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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