The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, diabetic neuropathy of the four extremities, and erectile dysfunction due to potential exposure to herbicide agents during service. Further development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange while serving aboard USS Ranger in the Gulf of Tonkin.
The deciding factor: The Board found that further development is necessary to determine whether the USS Ranger was within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam, which could affect the presumption of exposure to herbicide agents and subsequent service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, and related conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II, diabetic neuropathy of the right upper extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the left upper extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the right lower extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity, erectile dysfunction (ED)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20067136
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
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