The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining a supplemental opinion from Dr. S.L. or another provider regarding herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: VA is requesting clarification on whether a competent medical opinion can be offered that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during service given his current disabilities and lack of other risk factors for the conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, type II (diabetes), skin cancer (melanoma), renal cancer, malignant neoplasm of the bladder (bladder cancer), erectile dysfunction due to diabetes, right lower extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity neuropathy, gall bladder removal
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2018
- Citation
- 1802088
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 1802088.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as presumptively related to his service in the Gulf War, specifically aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Mataco.
- 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 claim for a heart disability prior to his death is granted as he was entitled to accrued benefits due to the September 1994 claim, which included ischemic heart disease, a covered herbicide disease.
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