The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, Type 2 and right foot amputation associated with diabetes mellitus, Type 2 are being remanded due to the potential applicability of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veteran’s Act of 2019.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the potential applicability of a new law that affects claims for herbicide exposure in specific waters during service in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, Type 2, right foot amputation associated with diabetes mellitus, Type 2
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20005248
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (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 20005248.
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 Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU based on his service-connected diabetes and diabetic neuropathy, finding that these conditions render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus, Type 2 as secondary to the chronic pancreatitis.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU as his disabilities are not sufficient to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, left foot peripheral neuropathy, and right foot peripheral neuropathy due to inadequate rationale in the VA examination opinions. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities may have contributed to his obesity, which could be a factor in causing or aggravating his diabetes mellitus and sleep apnea.
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