The Veteran's right knee disability is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected condition.,The Veteran's heart disability and diabetes mellitus type II are remanded due to a duty to assist error in not verifying herbicide exposure during service.,The Veteran's heart disability and diabetes mellitus type II are remanded due to a duty to assist error in not verifying herbicide exposure during service.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence of record regarding the current severity of the Veteran’s right knee disability, necessitating a new VA examination.,The Veteran's military records show he served near the DMZ and was exposed to herbicide agents. However, there is no verification from the RRC. The duty to assist requires further efforts to verify exposure.,The Veteran's military records show he served near the DMZ and was exposed to herbicide agents. However, there is no verification from the RRC. The duty to assist requires further efforts to verify exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee disability, Heart disability, Diabetes mellitus type II
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 19, 2021
- Citation
- 21009182
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 21009182.
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 a heart disability, finding that the Veteran's current heart diagnoses are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim for bilateral knee disabilities and his right and left knee scars have been granted. He is now rated at a combined 60% disability rating from June 1, 2018 based on bilateral factors for his bilateral knee disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for a right shoulder disability and remanded the case for further action on heart disability. The decision regarding right shoulder disability is that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 2, 2015, for TDIU was denied as the evidence did not show actual worsening within one year prior to his March 2, 2015, claim.
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