The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to final adjudication of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA medical records and providing a VA examination for his liver disorder.,The Veteran’s service-connected type II diabetes mellitus may be aggravated by his liver disorder. The examiner should provide an opinion on whether this aggravation is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his diabetes.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current evidence does not fully address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's liver disorder, upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and type II diabetes mellitus. Additional development is necessary to provide a complete picture of his disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver Disorder, Right and Left Upper Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Right Lower Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy of the Sciatic Nerve, Left Lower Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy of the Femoral Nerve
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19120869
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,612 · Granted: 16% (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 19120869.
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 case due to a duty-to-assist error in the VA medical opinions provided prior to the October 2025 rating decision. The AOJ is required to obtain a VA addendum opinion from the same nurse practitioner or another qualified clinician to address inconsistencies in the etiology of the Veteran's liver disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including heart disorder, GERD, liver disorder, and peripheral neuropathy. The decision also noted that the Veteran's sciatica was not incurred in service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy and obstructive sleep apnea due to a need for additional development of evidence.
- Denied
The Board found that the reduction in ratings for right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve from 20% to 10% was not proper due to insufficient evidence showing actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions.
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