The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is presumed to have been incurred during his active service in Thailand. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for peripheral neuropathy, right and left lower extremities, Barrett’s syndrome, and melanoma due to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was exposed to herbicides while serving in Thailand and has current diagnoses of diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, Barrett's syndrome, and melanoma. The Board found that the presumption of service connection for these conditions based on herbicide exposure is warranted.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, Barrett’s syndrome, melanoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19132210
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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