The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cause of death and DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 due to incomplete verification of exposure to herbicide agents in Korea.
The deciding factor: Verification of the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents is required as his personnel records indicate he served in a unit that operated in or on the Korean DMZ beginning in August 1968, but not during his period of service from May 1965 to July 1966.
- Claimed conditions
- cause of death
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21031397
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 21031397.
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 Board dismissed the appeal because the Appellant did not specify which specific decision or issue she disagreed with, specifically regarding her claim for service connection related to Camp Lejeune exposure.
- Dismissed
The Board has already granted service connection for the cause of death in a previous decision, and no new issues are pending. The current appeal is dismissed.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death is dismissed due to concurrent election.
- Granted
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of July 1, 2014 for dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) based on the appellant's claim received within one year following the Veteran's death.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.