The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus and related conditions, including diabetic neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, retinopathy, and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), based on herbicide exposure during service.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted due to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, which is presumed to have caused diabetes mellitus, and these conditions are secondary to the diabetes.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy of the right upper extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the left upper extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the right lower extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2025
- Citation
- 25007655
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 25007655.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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