The Board has remanded the case to determine if the Veteran's service on USS Rathburne was within the offshore waters of Vietnam, which would allow for presumptive service connection for diabetes. The claim will be readjudicated under these new provisions.
The deciding factor: Further development is needed to determine whether the ship served within the defined offshore waters of Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- type 2 diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002960
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,762 · Granted: 24% (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 20002960.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's need for regular aid and assistance of another person due to service-connected disabilities has been established, allowing him to receive special monthly compensation at the aid and attendance rate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for the cause of death and burial benefits due to a lack of medical opinion regarding the Veteran's exposure at Camp Lejeune, which could impact his eligibility for these benefits.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU for accrued benefits purposes is granted, and the initial compensable rating for his service-connected back scar is denied. The claims of higher ratings for lumbar spine disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus claim is denied as he does not have a current disability.,The Veteran's prostate cancer claim is denied due to lack of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and insufficient evidence linking his condition to service.,The Veteran's left ankle disability claim is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding pre-existing versus in-service aggravation.,The Veteran's lower back disability claim is remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion on the relationship between his current condition and service.,The Veteran's depression claim is remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion on the relationship between his current condition and service.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is remanded for a new VA examination to determine if he has hearing loss and whether it is related to service.,The Veteran's type 2 diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, and nontoxic goiter claims are remanded for further examination and opinion regarding their relationship to his left ankle injury.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim is remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion on the relationship between his current condition and service.,The Veteran's nontoxic goiter claim is remanded for a VA examination and medical opinion on the relationship between his current condition and service.
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