The Board has denied service connection for bilateral tinnitus due to lack of a current diagnosis. The claims for ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus (type II), and related neuropathy conditions are remanded as the Veteran served in Thailand during the Vietnam era.
The deciding factor: There is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB that would support presumptive service connection for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tinnitus, ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus (type II), diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19116092
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 19116092.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
- Partly granted
The Board grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is granted an effective date of April 25, 2014, for service connection for prostate cancer.
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