The Board has denied a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction and remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension due to possible herbicide exposure. The Veteran's hypertension is currently not related to his prostate cancer, but an addendum opinion is needed to determine if it is related to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examination did not provide a clear opinion on whether the Veteran’s hypertension was caused by herbicide exposure, as required by the 2012 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Update which found 'limited or suggestive' evidence of an association between Agent Orange exposure and hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- Erectile Dysfunction, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006923
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction and a higher rating for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy with muscle weakness, but granted an earlier effective date for the 60 percent disability rating for thrombosis, TIA or cerebral infarction with impairment of sphincter control and voiding dysfunction, and for service connection for pharynx and/or larynx and/or swallowing conditions residuals.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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