The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities, to include as due to herbicide exposure (Agent Orange), due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a clear opinion on whether the Veteran’s neuropathy is related to Agent Orange exposure, despite noting that it was one of the known risks or identifiable causes for his polyneuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- neuropathy of the right lower extremity, neuropathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20074229
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right eye dry eyes, cataracts of the left and right eyes, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left renal arteriovenous malformation, aneurysm, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, recurrent subluxation of the left knee prior to May 13, 2020, left total knee replacement, disability rating in excess of 60 percent from September 1, 2021, forward for left total knee replacement, DJD of the right knee, right knee instability, burns of the bilateral ankles, linear scar of the left knee, post-surgical tender scars of the left knee, and a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disabilities prior to June 14, 2019.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hyperthyroidism as secondary to in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and for neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities and right eye exophthalmos and diplopia as secondary to service-connected hypothyroidism.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for neuropathy of all four extremities due to a need for additional development, including verification of claimed nerve agent exposure and obtaining an updated medical opinion.
- Partly granted
The veteran was granted service connection for hypertension and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) with an effective date of November 13, 2019.
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