The Board remands the claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing the Veteran's lay reports, all established toxic exposure risk activities, and whether the condition is caused or aggravated by the service-connected obstructive sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: The July 2024 VA examiner's opinions were found inadequate as they did not address the Veteran's lay reports regarding the onset of DMII, all of his established TERAs, and any aggravation related to the service-connected obstructive sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- type II diabetes mellitus (DMII)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2025
- Citation
- 25002461
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 25002461.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected type II diabetes mellitus and entitlement to service connection for kidney disease with renal insufficiency, to include as secondary to service-connected DMII, for further development.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, prostate cancer, heart disability, and type II diabetes mellitus were denied. The claim for a low back disability was remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus (DMII), to include as due to herbicide agent exposure, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure and no in-service disease or injury related to DMII. The Board concluded that the current diagnosis is not linked to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, type II diabetes mellitus (DMII), skin rash, infection, cardiomyopathy, fluid around the heart, mesothelioma, and PTSD. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's exposure to toxins, including asbestos, and herbicide agents during his active service.
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