The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral neuropathy/radiculopathy is related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, and may be aggravated by service-connected diabetes. However, the VA examination was inadequate as it did not address these theories of entitlement or discuss the Veteran’s herniated disc and degenerative spine conditions. Therefore, another VA examination is needed.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the initial VA examination was insufficient to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral neuropathy/radiculopathy due to its lack of detail regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and his herniated disc and degenerative spine conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- peripheral neuropathy, neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2018
- Citation
- 18144763
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 18144763.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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