The Board remands the claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and polycythemia to attempt to corroborate the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his active duty in Okinawa, Japan.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary to substantiate the Veteran's exposure to herbicides with new information or probative sources beyond what was previously researched by the AOJ.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, polycythemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2024
- Citation
- 24002957
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.
- Partly granted
The Board grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are related to Agent Orange exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's ischemic heart disease, as the previous opinions were found inadequate.
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