The Board has remanded two issues: service connection for hypertension and service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities. The Veteran's hypertension is related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents or his service-connected diabetes mellitus, but a VA examination is needed to determine if it is at least as likely as not that the hypertension began during active service, was noted during service with continuity of symptomatology since service, or is proximately due to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The same applies for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities.
The deciding factor: The Board found the Veteran's claims for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy are related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents or his service-connected diabetes mellitus, but a VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions began during active service, were noted during service with continuity of symptomatology since service, or are proximately due to service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109797
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (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 19109797.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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