The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors and insufficient medical evidence. The AOJ must verify the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during his service in Thailand or Vietnam, if not already conceded. A VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the AOJ committed multiple pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors by failing to verify whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during service in Thailand or Vietnam, and by not providing VA examinations addressing the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 29, 2024
- Citation
- A24041772
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 A24041772.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- 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 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as presumptively related to his service in the Gulf War, specifically aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Mataco.
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