The Board has reopened the Veteran's service connection claims for hypothyroidism, infertility, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities. The AOJ previously denied these claims due to lack of verified herbicide exposure. The Board finds new evidence submitted since previous decisions is relevant and sufficient to permit readjudication. However, additional remand is required to verify the Veteran's reported in-service exposure to various hazardous materials at Fort McClellan, Alabama.
The deciding factor: The AOJ previously denied service connection for these conditions due to lack of verified herbicide exposure. The Board finds new evidence submitted since previous decisions is relevant and sufficient to permit readjudication but requires additional verification of the Veteran's reported in-service exposure to various hazardous materials at Fort McClellan, Alabama.
- Claimed conditions
- hypothyroidism, infertility, peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2022
- Citation
- A22020628
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 A22020628.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for hypothyroidism is denied, and the Board finds that service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease and bilateral foot condition should be remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hypothyroidism and therefore denied their claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to readjudicate his claims for service connection for coronary atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus type II, but has remanded the cases due to new evidence received. The claims are being remanded for toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) medical opinions regarding any possible nexus between the Veteran's claimed exposures in Camp Lejeune and his conditions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was dismissed. The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis with complications, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, vitamin deficiencies, memory/cognitive impairment, unexplained arthralgias, fatigue, hair loss, and bradycardia.
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