The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange. The AOJ is instructed to attempt to obtain the Veteran’s complete service treatment records and verify his reported exposure to herbicides during his time in Germany.
The deciding factor: The VA failed to provide sufficient evidence of the Veteran's exposure to herbicides as claimed.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, psoriatic arthritis, right hip degenerative joint disease and rheumatoid arthritis with acetabular cyst status post total hip replacement, compromised immune system, high blood pressure, prostate cancer status post prostatectomy, type II diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20021490
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20021490.
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 Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disorder, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes mellitus due to errors in development of the claim.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
- Partly granted
Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome is granted.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset in service or as a result of a disease or injury in active service.
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