The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities due to exposure to herbicide agents, as there is insufficient competent medical evidence to make a decision on these claims. The Veteran's contentions of exposure to herbicide agents have not been conceded by VA.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the August 2014 private opinion is insufficient to make a decision on this claim due to the lack of concession of herbicide agent exposure and does not address other possible risk factors for diabetes, including hypertension, mild obesity, and a family history of diabetes.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus Type II, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20063281
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 20063281.
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
Service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II is granted. The Board also found that service connection should be granted for hypertension and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as secondary to the Veteran's diabetes mellitus.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for higher ratings of tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and right shoulder disability. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus Type II is granted as secondary to his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right ankle degenerative arthritis other than post-traumatic, right ankle tendinopathy, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and knee joint osteoarthritis.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus Type II and hypertension are granted as service-connected due to presumptive exposure in Thailand, a location where herbicide agents were presumed to have been present.
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