The Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an esophageal condition, to include dysphagia, odynophagia, esophageal spasm and esophageal stricture, as well as a hernia, due to exposure to herbicides, is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange during service in Panama. His type II diabetes mellitus manifested following service and is presumed service connected.,His pancreatitis and GERD are secondary to his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus and pancreatitis respectively, due to the progression of these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- type II diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esophageal condition (including dysphagia, odynophagia, esophageal spasm and esophageal stricture), hernia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 20, 2026
- Citation
- 26000739
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 26000739.
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 right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disorder, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes mellitus due to errors in development of the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
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