The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for IHD, DM II, Bladder Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, and Bilateral Peripheral Neuropathy of the Lower Extremities due to exposure to herbicides (AO) and radiation.,A remand is required to determine if the Veteran had regular and repeated contact with C-123 aircraft known to have been used to spray an herbicide agent during the Vietnam era, as well as to verify his service at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and at Clear Air Force Station in Alaska.
The deciding factor: The evidence is insufficient to determine if the Veteran had exposure to herbicides or radiation that would warrant reopening of his claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic Heart Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Type II, Bladder Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Bilateral Peripheral Neuropathy of the Lower Extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20026540
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 20026540.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone is sufficient to grant a TDIU, and his other service-connected disabilities are at least 60% combined. The Veteran also meets the criteria for SMC based on housebound status.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected ischemic heart disease was granted a 30% disability rating effective August 31, 2010. The condition manifested as cardiac hypertrophy and a workload of greater than 5.0 but less than 7.0 METs without congestive heart failure or LVEF of 50 percent or less.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted a 10 percent rating for the period prior to August 10, 2022. The Veteran's bladder cancer received a 100 percent rating from March 7, 2018 until September 8, 2018.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations and effective dates have been denied. The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are currently rated at 60 percent, 20 percent, and varying percentages respectively.
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