The Board has remanded the case due to unresolved issues including marriage validation, accrued benefits determination, and need for a VA compensation examination regarding Southwest Asia exposure. The cause of death claim is also on appeal.
The deciding factor: The decision was not about service connection but rather related to pending claims at the Veteran's death and potential substitution into those claims.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type 2, diabetic retinopathy, cancer (originated in the lungs and metastasized to the brain)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19167400
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 19167400.
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 denied an effective date prior to April 11, 2013, for the award of service connection for diabetic retinopathy and grade 2+ anterior vacuoles due to a lack of evidence indicating an intent to apply for benefits or communication related to these conditions before that date.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 and diabetic nephropathy (renal failure) as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected hypertension and diabetes mellitus type 2, respectively.
- Dismissed
The appeal for entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed as moot due to the Veteran's 100 percent combined rating assigned for his service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy, chronic kidney disease, a heart disability, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, a colon disability, major depressive disorder, and diabetes mellitus, type 2. The claims for PTSD, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and hypertension were denied.
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