The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis and Type II diabetes mellitus need further development, including obtaining SSA records and verifying potential exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The Veteran served in Thailand where he assisted with moving barrels containing Agent Orange. The Board will seek additional information regarding this potential exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- asbestosis, Type II diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18159133
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 18159133.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that Type II diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which are presumed to have resulted from herbicide exposure during service, contributed substantially to his demise.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's in-service toxic exposure risk activities, including jet fuel and other fuels, to determine if they contributed to his cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus and unstable angina and/or coronary artery disease, finding that there was no credible evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.
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