The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of verification for herbicide agent exposure in Guam, where the Veteran served. The AOJ needs to verify this information and provide the Veteran with an opportunity to respond.
The deciding factor: Verification of herbicide agent exposure is required as service connection can still be warranted on a direct basis if not presumed based on Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral restless leg syndrome
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161334
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 19161334.
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 a higher rating of left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and a separate rating for bilateral restless leg syndrome due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, bilateral restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, tremors of the hands-bilateral, left knee condition, right knee condition, and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. However, it granted service connection for chronic headaches.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, bilateral hand tremors, and bilateral restless leg syndrome. The Board also granted an increased rating of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral athletes' foot, onychomycosis and tinea nigra, a skin condition other than onychomycosis, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral restless leg syndrome, breathing issues, left knee pain, lumbar spine disability, migraines, an acquired psychiatric disorder claimed as PTSD with anxiety and insomnia (also claimed as sleep disturbances), and tinnitus.
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