The Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder is granted service connection. The claims for diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy are remanded due to the need for additional evidence regarding in-service exposure.
The deciding factor: Additional deck logs from the U.S.S. Kearsarge are needed to determine if the Veteran had service within the territorial sea extending 12 nautical miles from the shores of the Republic of Vietnam, which is required for presumptive service connection due to herbicide agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus, type 2, peripheral neuropathy of the right hand, peripheral neuropathy of the left hand, peripheral neuropathy of the right foot
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21031307
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21031307.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's anxiety and depressive disorders were rated at a 70 percent disability rating effective May 6, 2015.,Effective May 6, 2015, the Veteran was granted an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current unspecified depressive disorder is related to his service-connected disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected unspecified depressive disorder with insomnia disorder is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that this rating is not sufficient to reflect his disability picture.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder is granted, while the claim for PTSD remains denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence and in-service stressor confirmation.
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