The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity and upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to exposure to burn pits in Korea. The Veteran's claim is reopened based on new evidence, but a VA examination is needed to determine if the conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The claim was previously denied as there was no nexus between the claimed conditions and service. However, with the reopening of the claim due to new evidence, a VA examination is required to assess whether the conditions are at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by service, specifically exposure to burn pits in Korea.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20068966
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20068966.
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 identified errors in the rating decision and is remanding the case for further development to ensure all relevant evidence is considered.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective October 24, 2017. The attorney fees are eligible based on the past-due benefits awarded in the May 2021 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity and foot peripheral neuropathy, particularly in relation to herbicide agent exposure during service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were denied due to the late filing of the appeal requests, and thus the appeals are dismissed.
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