The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of a VA examination addressing the relationship between the Veteran's disabilities and his military service. Additional development is needed, including obtaining an opinion on whether the Veteran was exposed to asbestos or mercury during active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos or mercury in service and the relationship of any diagnosed conditions to such exposures.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid disability, Gastrointestinal disability (stomach bypass), Diabetes mellitus, Right lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, Left lower extremity peripheral vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2022
- Citation
- 22013052
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 22013052.
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 the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a thyroid disability, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to his military service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to September 28, 2021. From September 28, 2021 to May 22, 2022, the Veteran had a combined total disability rating of 100%, which rendered the issue moot as he was already receiving SMC based on his service-connected disabilities.
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