Citation Nr: 1642353 Decision Date: 11/03/16 Archive Date: 11/18/16 DOCKET NO. 13-09 091A ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Detroit, Michigan THE ISSUES 1. Entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus, to include as due to herbicide exposure. 2. Entitlement to service connection for asbestos exposure. REPRESENTATION Appellant represented by: The American Legion ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD Avery M. Schonland, Associate Counsel INTRODUCTION The Veteran had active service from March 1965 to March 1969. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a June 2010 rating decision from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Detroit, Michigan. This case consists of documents in Virtual VA and the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS). Accordingly, any future consideration of this Veteran's case should take into consideration the existence of this electronic record. The appeal is REMANDED to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ). VA will notify the appellant if further action is required. REMAND In an April 2013 substantive appeal, the Veteran requested a hearing before the Board at his local RO. However, he has never been scheduled for such a hearing. Therefore, the case must be remanded. Accordingly, the case is REMANDED for the following action: The AOJ should take appropriate steps in order to schedule the Veteran for a hearing with a Veterans Law Judge in accordance with his request. The Veteran should be notified in writing of the date, time, and location of the hearing. After the hearing is conducted, or if the Veteran withdraws the hearing request or fails to report for the scheduled hearing, the claims file should be returned to the Board in accordance with appellate procedures. The appellant has the right to submit additional evidence and argument on the matter or matters the Board has remanded. Kutscherousky v. West, 12 Vet. App. 369 (1999). This claim must be afforded expeditious treatment. The law requires that all claims that are remanded by the Board of Veterans' Appeals or by the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims for additional development or other appropriate action must be handled in an expeditious manner. See 38 U.S.C.A. §§ 5109B, 7112 (West 2014). _________________________________________________ J.W. ZISSIMOS Veterans Law Judge, Board of Veterans' Appeals Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 2014), only a decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. This remand is in the nature of a preliminary order and does not constitute a decision of the Board on the merits of your appeal. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1100(b) (2015).