The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected conditions, including diabetes mellitus. The case will be reviewed again with a medical opinion.
The deciding factor: A medical advisory opinion is needed to determine if the cause of the Veteran's death (cirrhosis and hemochromatosis) can be linked to his service/environmental exposures or if it was caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis of the liver, hemochromatosis, 5q minus syndrome, refractory transfusion dependent anemia, severe thrombocytopenia, Clostridium difficile colitis, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, diabetes mellitus with related peripheral neuropathy, acquired hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, vitamin D deficiency
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2015
- Citation
- 1512677
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 1512677.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted an initial 20 percent rating for service-connected vitamin D deficiency, finding that the Veteran's recurrent abdominal pain and diarrhea most closely approximates the criteria for a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 6313. The claim for service connection for IBS was not addressed in this decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for cirrhosis of the liver has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and its secondary effects on other conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes mellitus type II, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and splenomegaly.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for hypothyroidism is granted with an effective date of August 17, 1998. Service connection for hypogonadism was denied.
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