The Board has remanded the claims for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus due to a duty-to-assist error in determining when the Veteran served near the Korean DMZ. The AOJ is instructed to clarify the dates of service, determine the proximity of Camp Baker, Camp Coiner, and Paju, Korea to the Korean DMZ, and assess whether the Veteran's duties were 'in or near' the DMZ.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the research memorandum provided by VA's Records Research Center was unclear and insufficient to decide the claim regarding proximity to the Korean DMZ.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 27, 2023
- Citation
- A23033518
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A23033518.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
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