The Board granted service connection for a heart disability, Meniere's disease, and restless arm and leg syndromes on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam. It also granted earlier effective dates for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as an initial 100 percent rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports the Veteran's claims based on his exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam, which is a presumptive basis for certain conditions including heart disease and Meniere's disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure, Meniere's disease, Willis-Ekbom disease of the right arm, Willis-Ekbom disease of the left arm, Willis-Ekbom disease of the right leg, Willis-Ekbom disease of the left leg
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25029734
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Meniere's disease, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran and finding that his Meniere's disease was caused by acoustic trauma during military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 100 percent rating for psychiatric disability and Meniere's disease, but denied SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and denied earlier effective dates for headaches, but granted an earlier effective date of January 12, 2012, for prostate cancer-related conditions. The decision also remanded Meniere's disease and granted special monthly compensation at the housebound rate.
- Denied
The motion to revise the December 1983 Board decision based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE) was denied.
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