The Veteran's diabetes is presumed to be due to his service, and he is granted service connection for this condition.,His hypertension and kidney disease are remanded as they do not meet the presumptive criteria based on herbicide exposure. His peripheral neuropathy claims are also remanded.,Service connection will be considered if there is a link between these conditions and his diabetes.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran served near the Korean DMZ, which would allow for presumptive service connection based on herbicide exposure. However, hypertension, kidney disease, and peripheral neuropathy are not listed as diseases associated with herbicide exposure.,Given that these conditions do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection, they must be considered on a direct basis or secondary to diabetes.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II (diabetes), hypertension, kidney disease, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20061280
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 20061280.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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