Service connection for ischemic heart disease is granted. Service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity neuropathy, soft tissue sarcoma, and dengue fever are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is presumed related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease (IHD), bilateral upper extremity neuropathy, bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, soft tissue sarcoma, dengue fever
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2022
- Citation
- 22000965
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 22000965.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, diabetes mellitus type II, and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy. The Veteran's cause of death due to these conditions is also recognized.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding past-due benefits awarded in the March 20, 2023 rating decision. The matter is being returned for further adjudication.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the August 2023 rating decision granting a TDIU was not an initial decision, making the appellant eligible for direct payment of fees from past due benefits awarded.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed substantially or materially to his cause of death, and DIC benefits are granted. The issue of entitlement to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is dismissed as moot.
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