The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities due to Agent Orange exposure. The AOJ is instructed to verify the Veteran's presence in Vietnam and request records from his assigned unit to determine if he was exposed to herbicides. If verified, the claims will be considered under the presumptive provisions for diabetes mellitus type II and VA examinations will be scheduled to assess the relationship between the conditions and Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's presence in Vietnam is not confirmed, but his claim for service connection is remanded due to the possibility of verified exposure to herbicides which would allow consideration under the presumptive provisions for diabetes mellitus type II.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19105131
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19105131.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.