The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 was denied due to lack of in-service records and exposure. New evidence submitted suggests the Veteran may have been within the 12 nautical mile zone of the Republic of Vietnam, which could grant presumptive service connection.
The deciding factor: New evidence indicates the Veteran's service brought him within the 12 nautical mile zone of the Republic of Vietnam, potentially qualifying for presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type 2
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006165
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 granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 and diabetic nephropathy (renal failure) as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected hypertension and diabetes mellitus type 2, respectively.
- Dismissed
The appeal for entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed as moot due to the Veteran's 100 percent combined rating assigned for his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates, except for an earlier effective date for service connection of lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death due to a predecisional duty to assist error in not obtaining relevant medical records from the state veteran's home.
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