The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides and his service connection for cause of death. The appellant must provide verification of her claims.
The deciding factor: Insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides at Udorn Air Force Base in Thailand is preventing a determination on the issue of service connection for cause of death (DIC).
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus type 2, Chronic renal failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19162526
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 284 · Granted: 35% (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 19162526.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and diabetes, finding that the evidence did not show chronic symptoms during service or continuous post-service symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was caused by cardiopulmonary arrest, with congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery disease presence of stent as the underlying cause. The Board has determined that there is a need for additional medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension, which he had during service, contributed to his death.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type 2.
- Denied
The Board denied DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that VA did not provide carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill in furnishing medical treatment.
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