The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, which he claims is due to Agent Orange exposure while serving aboard the U.S.S. Newport News off the coast of Vietnam or in Da Nang Harbor, has been remanded for further clarification and development.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to clarify whether it is 'at least as likely as not' that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was caused by contaminated sea water or drinking water aboard his ship due to service off the coast of Vietnam or in Da Nang Harbor, given that he has not asserted going ashore and recent VA guidance dictates that service in Da Nang Harbor alone does not constitute inland waterway service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2014
- Citation
- 1453951
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 1453951.
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 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 Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
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