The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence indicating potential exposure to herbicide agents during service, which may be related to the Veteran's disabilities. The RO must now determine if diabetes mellitus is related to service and adjudicate the secondary service connection claims in light of this determination.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service, presumptively related to his disabilities, and thus required further investigation into whether diabetes mellitus is also related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral eye disability, bilateral kidney disability, erectile dysfunction, muscle spasms, sleep apnea, bilateral lung disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21013388
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 21013388.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
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