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Remanded (sent back)

The Veteran seeks service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2, which he claims is related to his exposure to Agent Orange while serving aboard the USS INTREPID (CVS-11) off the coast of Vietnam. The Board finds that additional development is required to determine if the USS INTREPID was within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam.

The deciding factor: The Board needs to determine whether the USS INTREPID, which served in the Republic of Vietnam, was present within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam during the relevant time period.

Claimed conditions
diabetes mellitus, type 2
How they argued it
Presumptive (no nexus needed)
Exposure basis
Agent Orange / herbicides
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
April 17, 2019
Citation
19130062

Veterans Law Judge

MATTHEW W. BLACKWELDER

Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (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 19130062.

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.

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