The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus and a skin condition (claimed as psoriasis) due to toxic herbicide exposure, specifically because there is uncertainty about whether the ship USS JOHN PAUL JONES operated within 12 nautical miles of Vietnam. The Board also requested an examination to determine if the Veteran’s current skin conditions are related to his service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence was insufficient to establish the Veteran's exposure to toxic herbicides in Vietnam, and thus remanded for further development including obtaining records from USS JOHN PAUL JONES and scheduling a VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, psoriasis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20002424
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 service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for fibromyalgia was granted with an effective date of August 14, 2023. The appeals for earlier effective dates and higher ratings were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
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