The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for further factual development regarding his exposure to herbicides during service. The issues of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and its related complications remain inextricably intertwined with this issue.
The deciding factor: The law has changed, requiring additional verification of the Veteran's claimed exposure to herbicide agents within the territorial sea of Vietnam.
- 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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (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 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The decision finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.
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