The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining an adequate medical opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II and his service, as well as a determination of whether there is new and material evidence to reopen the claim for a bilateral eye disability secondary to diabetes.
The deciding factor: The February 2025 VA opinions were found inadequate due to their reliance on the absence of in-service documentation without addressing the Veteran's medical history or specific exposure, and because diabetes mellitus type II is not acknowledged as caused by toxic exposures.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus type II, Bilateral eye disability, to include diabetic retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2025
- Citation
- 25006032
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 claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the petitions to reopen claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and a right wrist condition due to the withdrawal of the appeals by the Veteran's attorney.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, finding no evidence that the Veteran's diabetes resulted from her active military service or was caused by her service-connected hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for persistent depressive disorder and diabetes mellitus type II, granted an increased rating of 10 percent for hypertension, and granted an increased rating of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also remanded service connection for cardiac arrhythmia.
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