The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the Veteran's precise dates of service aboard the USS Renshaw and whether he had 'Brown Water' service in Vietnam. The claim for a bilateral foot fungus will be remanded for an appropriate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Board needs to clarify the Veteran's service history regarding his exposure to herbicides, specifically determining if he served on land or offshore during his time aboard the USS Renshaw.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, Type 2, bilateral foot fungus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2011
- Citation
- 1116906
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 1116906.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied, as the evidence does not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria. The claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is also denied due to lack of evidence supporting a higher rating based on audiometric results. Service connection for hypertension and bilateral foot fungus are granted with effective dates from May 19, 2020, to August 9, 2022, respectively. The Veteran's claims for service connection regarding left knee pain (status post arthroscopy), right knee pain (status post arthroscopy), low back disability (degenerative arthritis of the spine), left shoulder pain, and right shoulder pain are all granted with effective dates from August 10, 2022. The Veteran's claims for service connection regarding left leg shooting pain and radiculopathy secondary to low back disability and right leg shooting pain and radiculopathy secondary to low back disability remain pending.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU based on his service-connected diabetes and diabetic neuropathy, finding that these conditions render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus, Type 2 as secondary to the chronic pancreatitis.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and bilateral foot fungus, as well as the appeals for SMC pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r) and an increased rating for GERD were dismissed due to being already pending at the Board in other appeal streams.
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