The Board has granted effective dates of November 17, 2011 for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, erectile dysfunction, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were denied initially due to lack of evidence establishing in-service exposure to herbicide agents. The Blue Water Act allows retroactive effective dates for service connection under certain conditions, including the date of a prior claim filed within the specified timeframe and meeting other criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, erectile dysfunction, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2026
- Citation
- A26037703
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 A26037703.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus type II (DM II), hypertension, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to service-connected DM II. The Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during active service is presumed.
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