The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is granted as due to herbicide exposure.,The Veteran's amputation of right great toe is granted as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction is remanded as it may be related to the service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.,Service connection for throat cancer is remanded as it may be due to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had presumed in-service herbicide exposure and a current disability of diabetes mellitus, type II that manifested to a compensable degree after separation from service. The Board found the Veteran's lay assertions regarding having boots on the ground in Vietnam during active service credible.,The amputation was caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.,Additional development is needed to determine if the erectile dysfunction began during active service or is related to an incident of service, including presumed herbicide exposure. It may also be aggravated by the service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.,Additional development is needed to determine if the throat cancer began during active service or is related to an incident of service, including presumed herbicide exposure and a documented cyst on the left side of neck in May 1976.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, amputation of right great toe, erectile dysfunction, throat cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19193285
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 19193285.
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 claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding its etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- 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.
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