The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for DM, erectile dysfunction secondary to DM, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities due to exposure to environmental contaminants, including herbicide agent exposure. The Veteran's representative provided evidence suggesting potential exposure during service to herbicides or agents akin to herbicides, which triggered VA’s duty to further develop the claims.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the submitted evidence did not directly speak to the Veteran's specific exposure and its effects on him, thus requiring a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed DM.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II (DM), erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20067856
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 remands the claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding its etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- 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.
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