The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus and bilateral diabetic retinopathy, both presumed to be caused by exposure to herbicide agents during the Veteran's service in Thailand. The claim for a heart condition was remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The evidence established the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, and his current diagnoses of DM II and bilateral diabetic retinopathy were consistent with such exposure under the PACT Act.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Diabetic Retinopathy, Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM II)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 26, 2025
- Citation
- A25028273
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 766 · Granted: 40% (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 A25028273.
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 Veteran's OSA and DM II are granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a separate and compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction associated with type II diabetes mellitus is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for pancreatitis, to include as associated with type II diabetes mellitus is remanded due to inadequate VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus prior to September 10, 2021 is remanded due to missing private treatment records and inadequate VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for type II diabetes mellitus from September 10, 2021 is remanded due to missing private treatment records and inadequate VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for a separate and compensable disability rating for bilateral diabetic retinopathy associated with type II diabetes mellitus prior to September 10, 2021 is remanded due to inadequate VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral diabetic retinopathy associated with type II diabetes mellitus from September 10, 2021 is remanded due to inadequate VA examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected somatic symptom disorder aggravated his Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM II), causing him to require a cholecystectomy and resulting in hepatic steatosis.,Service connection is granted for residual symptoms of a cholecystectomy and hepatic steatosis on secondary bases due to the Veteran's DM II.
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