The Board has remanded the claims due to new information about Air Force Reserve service and a change in VA regulations regarding herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: VA adopted an interim rule expanding the regulation to include individuals who performed service with C-123 aircraft used to spray Agent Orange, which could potentially establish herbicide exposure for the Veteran's Air Force Reserve service.
- Claimed conditions
- congestive cardiomyopathy with mitral valve prolapse, colitis, diabetes mellitus, cervical spine disorder, low back disorder, cataracts, seborrheic keratosis, diverticulitis, pancytopenia (low blood cell count), iron deficiency
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19148763
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 19148763.
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 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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and bilateral cataracts of the eyes.
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