The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and ischemic heart disease, but has remanded these issues due to uncertainty regarding whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents while serving on Navy ships in Vietnam. The erectile dysfunction claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other two.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence had been submitted which relates to an unestablished fact necessary for service connection, specifically whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents while serving on Navy ships in Vietnam. However, due to uncertainty regarding this exposure, further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's service involved being 'offshore of Vietnam' as defined by the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20008040
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding its etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
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