The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his exposure to herbicides during service in Vung Tau Harbor and other locations close to the coastline of Vietnam.
The deciding factor: VA needs to reevaluate its definition of inland waterways and exercise fair judgment to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides based on his reported service in these areas.
- Claimed conditions
- type II diabetes mellitus, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, gastroesophageal reflux disease, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, bladder condition/urinary frequency, skin condition of the hands and feet, diarrhea
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 8, 2015
- Citation
- 1538175
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 1538175.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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