The Board has remanded the case for further development and opinion regarding service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, including consideration of his diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The Board requested an addendum opinion to clarify whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s diabetes mellitus was a contributory cause of his death or caused by his service-connected type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- type 2 diabetes mellitus, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20047757
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 20047757.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the appeal for accrued benefits and has remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death, as there was a duty to assist error related to obtaining a medical nexus opinion regarding in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death (hepatitic failure, cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis C) is not directly related to his Marine Corps service or any verified in-service exposures. The VA examiner's opinion was found inadequate due to its reliance on the absence of medical literature without a discussion of specific facts.
- Granted
The Veteran's need for regular aid and assistance of another person due to service-connected disabilities has been established, allowing him to receive special monthly compensation at the aid and attendance rate.
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