The Veteran's COPD and congestive heart failure are being remanded for further development.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to potential herbicide exposure during service. The VA will determine if the ship he served on was within 12 nautical miles of Vietnam, which could affect presumptive service connection.,The DIC benefits claim is being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other claims.
The deciding factor: There are no VA opinions regarding the secondary and presumptive theories of service connection for COPD and congestive heart failure, respectively. The VA must provide these opinions.,The Veteran's military personnel records have not been associated with the file to determine if he was exposed to herbicide agents during service. This information is necessary to consider the presumptive theory of service connection for diabetes mellitus.,The DIC benefits claim is being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other claims, which are also being remanded.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic cardiomyopathy (claimed as congestive heart failure), diabetes mellitus, type II
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 3, 2024
- Citation
- A24023024
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 A24023024.
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 Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The decision finds that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II is proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.
- 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.
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