The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected conditions, including diabetic retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease, leg radiculopathy, stomach disability, prostate disability, liver disability, and various other disabilities. The issues include reopening of a claim for diabetic retinopathy and seeking service connection for these conditions as secondary to diabetes mellitus or exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's appeal is primarily about the relationship between his service-connected conditions and any potential secondary effects from diabetes mellitus or exposure to herbicides, with some issues also involving a need for additional VA medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic retinopathy, bilateral peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities, bilateral leg radiculopathy, stomach disability, prostate disability, liver disability, diabetic nephropathy, diabetes mellitus, neurogenic bladder, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, atherosclerotic heart disease and mild coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2013
- Citation
- 1308179
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 1308179.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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