The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 is being remanded due to the need for further investigation into his claimed exposure to Agent Orange while serving as an air cargo specialist at McGuire Airforce Base.
The deciding factor: The Veteran provided additional detail about his alleged exposure to Agent Orange, and VA regulations have been amended to include individuals who performed service in the Air Force or Air Force Reserve under circumstances involving regular and repeated contact with C-123 aircraft used to spray herbicide agents during the Vietnam era.
- 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 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19131231
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 19131231.
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 Veteran's appeal for service connection for heart attack, kidney stones, polycythemia vera, diabetes mellitus type 2, and psoriasis is remanded due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective October 24, 2017. The attorney fees are eligible based on the past-due benefits awarded in the May 2021 rating decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2 is found to be secondary to her service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder, and cannabis use disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of diabetes mellitus type 2 was denied as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. His hypertension was granted a 10% evaluation from January 11, 2011, but no greater. The Veteran's request for an effective date before October 12, 2021, for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was denied.
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