The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart disease and diabetes mellitus, as well as the claim for a compensable rating for low back disability due to exposure to herbicide agents. Additional development is needed including obtaining records from private providers, assessing proximity of runways to base perimeter, and conducting an orthopedic examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed exposure to herbicide agents at Takhli RTAFB and needs further investigation by VA personnel.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart disease, Diabetes mellitus, type 2
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18119485
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 18119485.
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 Veteran's claims for cerebrovascular strokes and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for Parkinson's disease, bladder cancer, and heart disease due to a duty to assist error in failing to consider potential toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) based on the Veteran's military occupational specialty (MOS).
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma was denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bladder cancer, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and an acquired psychiatric disability (unspecified depressive disorder), but denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.
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