The Board granted service connection for right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, left wrist arthritis, left foot arthritis, and heart disability, to include coronary artery disease (CAD), as the evidence was approximately evenly balanced in favor of the Veteran. The claims for diabetes mellitus and kidney disability were remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board resolved reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran based on credible lay statements regarding continuous symptoms since service and medical literature supporting a link between asbestos exposure and cardiovascular disease, as well as the lack of a definitive negative nexus opinion for the claims that were granted.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, left wrist arthritis, left foot arthritis, heart disability, to include coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus, to include as secondary to service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with obesity as an intermediate step, kidney disability, to include as secondary to diabetes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2025
- Citation
- 25008149
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 service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, low back disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or illness related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
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