The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for a skin disability and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, both related to herbicide exposure. The VA examinations are inadequate for decision making purposes as they only considered presumptive service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not address whether the Veteran’s conditions are at least as likely as not related to herbicide exposure on a non-presumptive direct incurrence basis.
- Claimed conditions
- skin disability, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20047477
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 20047477.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of peripheral neuropathy in all four extremities, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's skin disability is remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his condition, including whether it is related to service or toxic exposure risk activities. The Veteran also needs to provide authorization forms for private treatment records.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of peripheral neuropathy in all four extremities, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.
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