The Veteran's claim for service connection for Parkinson's disease and related conditions has been granted with an effective date of May 31, 2021. The exposure to herbicide agents at Ubon RTAFB during the Vietnam era is presumed based on his duties as an aircraft maintenance specialist.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had in-service exposure to herbicide agents at or near the perimeter and flight line of Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, which is sufficient for service connection under a facts-found basis due to his MOS as an aircraft maintenance specialist.
- Claimed conditions
- Parkinson's Disease, difficulty chewing/swallowing and constipation, left lower extremity muscle rigidity and stiffness with balance impairment and bradykinesia, left upper extremity muscle rigidity and stiffness, stooped posture right, stooped posture left, loss of automatic movement left, loss of automatic movement right, loss of smell, speech changes right, speech changes left, erectile dysfunction, right lower extremity muscle rigidity and stiffness with balance impairment and bradykinesia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2024
- Citation
- A24048657
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 A24048657.
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 claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus type II (DM II), hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to service-connected DM II. The Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during active service is presumed.
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