The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right eye injury, bilateral foot plantar fasciitis, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, abnormal toenail growth, esophageal disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, type II diabetes mellitus, chloracne of the arm and neck, heart disease (to include coronary artery disease), and hypertension. The claims are remanded due to incomplete service records and need further review.
The deciding factor: The Board found that some of the Veteran's claims were not related to herbicide exposure and thus did not have relevant SPRs for reconsideration. Other claims, including those for heart disease and hypertension, were remanded as new VA examinations are needed due to lack of recent medical opinions on their etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Eye Injury, Bilateral Plantar Fasciitis, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Abnormal Toenail Growth, Esophageal Disorder, Gastrointestinal Disorder (claimed as a digestive track disorder), Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Chloracne of the Arm and Neck, Heart Disease (to include coronary artery disease), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19118423
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19118423.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
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.