The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate examination and duty-to-assist issues.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide an opinion as to whether the Veteran's bilateral peripheral neuropathy was aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, which is necessary for a complete determination of secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral peripheral neuropathy of lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2016
- Citation
- 1637580
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 1637580.
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 Veteran's diabetes mellitus and related peripheral neuropathy are granted as presumptively caused by his service in the Republic of Vietnam, where he was exposed to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection as they are related to his active duty service. The lumbosacral strain, bilateral foot disability, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are denied as there is no evidence of a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for bilateral focal median nerve entrapment neuropathy early stage carpal tunnel syndrome and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of lower extremities, both secondary to Agent Orange exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy, including as due to Agent Orange exposure, was incurred in service and should be assigned a rating.
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