The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various conditions including lupus disorder, CAD with congestive heart failure and bypass surgery, thyroid disorder, and diabetes mellitus, type II, due to exposure to herbicide agents. The AOJ must submit multiple requests to the JSRRC covering different 60-day periods to verify the Veteran's reported exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient information for meaningful research of Marine Corps or National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records and remanded the case due to potential herbicide agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- lupus disorder, coronary artery disease (CAD) with congestive heart failure and bypass surgery, thyroid disorder, diabetes mellitus, type II
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18158423
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 18158423.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The decision finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted on a secondary basis with obesity serving as an intermediate step due to service-connected low back disability, sciatica, and right shoulder disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and left arm tremors. Service connection for right hand tremors is also granted. The Veteran's tinnitus claim was denied as there is no current diagnosis of tinnitus.
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