The Board has determined that further development is necessary to determine if the Veteran has a current diagnosis of bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy and whether it is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The July 2013 VA examination was inadequate due to the examiner's inability to provide an opinion without objective evidence, such as EMG and NCS studies.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19195568
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 19195568.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus, finding that it preexisted service and did not increase in disability. The claims for ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and pes planus were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal seeking service connection for various conditions was withdrawn by the Veteran's authorized representative prior to the Board's decision.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for various conditions, including neck disability manifested by pain and diabetes mellitus type II, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee degenerative arthritis. The other conditions were also granted as they are caused by the now-service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.
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