The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II is found to be the cause of his diagnosed peripheral neuropathy in both upper and lower extremities. The Board has ordered a new examination to determine if these conditions are secondary to his diabetes.
The deciding factor: The August 2016 VA examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not address whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II caused or aggravated any diagnosed peripheral neuropathy in his upper and lower extremities.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20006235
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 left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are related to Agent Orange exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Partly granted
The appeal was granted for service connection for latent tuberculosis and dermatitis of the face, while other claims were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis, small bowel obstruction, to include small bowel perforation, status post left hemicolectomy, Hartman's pouch and ileostomy (bowel condition), as well as right and left upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to a finding that an adequate VA medical opinion was not obtained.
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