The Board remands the case to determine whether the Veteran's service included travel to or near the DMZ or exposure to herbicide agents while in Korea.
The deciding factor: There is a reasonable possibility that a record search encompassing all of the Veteran's time in Korea and considering his MOS may reveal service at the DMZ or otherwise aid in substantiating the appellant's claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute myocardial infarction, Diabetes Mellitus Type II due to Arterial Hypertension, due to Hypercholesterolemia
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25058001
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 case to obtain new medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing his service in the Panama Canal Zone and potential exposure to toxins.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure and his death from acute respiratory failure. The appellant is asked to provide any relevant private treatment records, and VA will attempt to obtain them on her behalf.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service aboard the USS White Plains in the territorial waters off of Vietnam, combined with credible observations by a fellow sailor, entitles the appellant to presumptive service connection for exposure to herbicide agents. As such, the cause of the Veteran’s death is now considered service-connected.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, as there was no evidence that a service-connected disability caused or contributed to the Veteran's death.
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