The Board has denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral hearing loss, and COPD due to lack of evidence showing in-service onset or relationship to service. The Veteran's claims are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have active service in the Republic of Vietnam, which is required for presumptive exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange. His service records do not show any service in Vietnam and his assertions regarding Vietnam service are not credible given the SPRs. The Board also found no evidence showing diabetes mellitus type II manifested during or within one year after service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral hearing loss, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- A20019194
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A20019194.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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