The Board granted service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, but remanded claims for erectile dysfunction, diverticulitis, a visual disorder, liver disorder, and gout.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service at Fort McClellan, Alabama from November 1976 to February 1977. The evidence supports the conclusion that the currently diagnosed peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities were caused by the service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Type II diabetes mellitus, Peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity (RUE), Peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity (LUE), Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity (RLE), Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity (LLE), Erectile dysfunction, Diverticulitis, Dry eye syndrome, cataracts, and ocular hypertension (visual disorder), Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (liver disorder), Gout
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2024
- Citation
- 24004912
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that Type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which are presumed to have resulted from herbicide exposure during service, contributed substantially to his demise.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 29, 2019 for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder but denied earlier effective dates and increased ratings for other conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's in-service toxic exposure risk activities, including jet fuel and other fuels, to determine if they contributed to his cause of death.
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