The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities are being remanded due to incomplete development. The VA will obtain a new medical opinion regarding whether these conditions were caused or aggravated by his diabetes mellitus, or if they are related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The claims require additional evidence and clarification from a VA examiner regarding the nature of the Veteran's hypertension and peripheral neuropathy, as well as their relationship to service-connected diabetes mellitus and presumed herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1713459
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 1713459.
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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