The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, due to herbicide agent exposure is being remanded as the AOJ did not determine whether the December 2017 lay statement constituted new and material evidence with respect to his prior April 2015 rating decision. The AOJ must attempt to verify the Veteran's asserted in-service exposure to herbicide agents by referring the claim to the U.S. Army and Joint Services Record Research Center (JSRRC).
The deciding factor: The AOJ did not determine whether the December 2017 lay statement constituted new and material evidence with respect to the prior April 2015 rating decision, which is why the case is being remanded.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, type II
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2022
- Citation
- 22015716
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 22015716.
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.
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- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted on a secondary basis with obesity serving as an intermediate step due to service-connected low back disability, sciatica, and right shoulder disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and left arm tremors. Service connection for right hand tremors is also granted. The Veteran's tinnitus claim was denied as there is no current diagnosis of tinnitus.
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