The Board remands the claim for an updated VA medical opinion and a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) opinion due to the Veteran's presumptive toxic exposure as conceded by VA.
The deciding factor: The May 2024 and August 2024 medical opinions are found inadequate, and there is no sufficient rationale regarding aggravation of the Veteran's obesity by his service-connected MDD. Additionally, a TERA opinion is needed due to the Veteran's presumptive toxic exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type II
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2024
- Citation
- 24032367
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 increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a psychiatric disability due to insufficient evidence of the severity required for higher ratings.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for his diabetes mellitus, a higher rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder, and a total disability rating due to service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart disability, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, but denied service connection for multiple tooth trauma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated his cardiovascular diseases, which were listed as contributing causes of death.
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