The Board has remanded the service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, skin disorder, CAD, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to potential herbicide exposure during a Saturday work detail cleaning aircraft. The PACT Act requires a VA examination and opinion regarding garrison exposure to petroleum-based products.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lay statements indicate participation in an aircraft cleaning detail but not direct exposure to Agent Orange, leading to the need for a TERA examination and opinion on potential garrison exposure to petroleum-based products.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, skin disorder, coronary artery disease (CAD), bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 29, 2024
- Citation
- 24009984
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 24009984.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, skin disorder, tongue condition, right chest costochondritis, and right hand shaking due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
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