The Veteran's claims for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus type II and related complications, are being remanded due to the need for further factual development regarding his exposure to herbicides during service.
The deciding factor: The law has changed, making it unclear whether the Veteran served within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam where he claims herbicide exposure occurred.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, fecal leakage, erectile dysfunction, frequent urination and leakage, bilateral eye disability (blurry vision), poor circulation in the right lower extremity, poor circulation in the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy in the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy in the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy in the right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy in the left upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19148123
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 remands the claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding its etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- 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.
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