The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for DM, hypertension, hypothyroidism, PN RLE, and PN LLE due to duty to assist errors. Specifically, additional development is needed to verify herbicide agent exposure during service in Korea and a VA opinion is required to address whether these conditions are related to handling barrels of unknown liquid labeled hazardous material.
The deciding factor: The Board found pre-decisional duty to assist errors regarding verification of herbicide agent exposure and obtaining a VA opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his service in Korea.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes Mellitus type II (DM), Hypertension, Hypothyroidism, Peripheral Neuropathy, right lower extremity (RLE), Peripheral Neuropathy, left lower extremity (LLE)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26009577
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 A26009577.
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 claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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