The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability.,There is no evidence of tuberculosis in the Veteran’s records, and there is no current diagnosis of tuberculosis. The claim for tuberculosis is denied.,The Veteran had diabetes mellitus but it did not manifest until after his discharge from service. Given the new statutory requirements under the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, further development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents in the offshore waters of Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The immediate cause of death was gallbladder cancer, which is not service-connected.,There is no current diagnosis of tuberculosis and there is no evidence of its presence during or after service.,The Veteran had diabetes mellitus but it did not manifest until after his discharge from service. The new statutory requirements under the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 need to be addressed.
- Claimed conditions
- gallbladder cancer, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20023139
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 20023139.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
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