Citation Nr: 20003744 Decision Date: 01/16/20 Archive Date: 01/15/20 DOCKET NO. 16-57 183 DATE: January 16, 2020 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active military service from February 1966 to February 1969. He died in August 2014. The appellant is the Veteran’s surviving spouse. The appellant seeks to establish service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death. She asserts that the Veteran served in Vietnam and was exposed to herbicide agents, and that his death was caused by such exposure. See October 2019 Board Hearing Transcript. The cause of the Veteran’s death was cardiopulmonary arrest, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is an ischemic heart disease, and subject to presumptive service connection for Veterans exposed to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran’s military personnel records and research conducted by the Joint Service Records Research Center (JSRRC) confirm the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam. His service records show he served in Don Muang, Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), Thailand. VA will concede herbicide exposure for a Veteran who was stationed at one of the Royal Thailand Air Force Bases if they served as a security policeman, security patrol dog handler, member of the security police squadron, or otherwise near the air base perimeter as shown by evidence of daily work duties, performance evaluation reports, or other credible evidence. The Veteran’s DD Form 214 shows his military occupational specialty was microwave radio repairman, and that he had one year of foreign service with the United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) from October 1966 to October 1967. JSRRC conducted research in March 2012, prior to the Veteran’s death, and was unable to document or verify that the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange or other tactical herbicides while performing his duties such as perimeter guard and microwave repairman. The research by JSRRC, however, is insufficient because the research conducted does not show a review of records that describe the Veteran’s daily work duties/assignments or his performance evaluations, which could possibly provide insight into whether his duties placed him on or near the perimeters of the RTAFB in Don Muang. On remand the RO must attempt to obtain a description of the Veteran’s daily work duties/assignments and his performance evaluations. Moreover, an August 2016 report from JSRRC noted they reviewed the operational report-lessons learned submitted by the Headquarters, USASTRATCOM Long Lines Battalion for the period November 1, 1966 to January 31, 1967. It was noted that the records do not document the use, testing, spraying, or storage of Agent Orange or tactical herbicides at Don Muang RTAFB, Thailand during the specified period from November 11, 1966 through January 6, 1967. The Veteran’s service records show he served in Thailand from November 7, 1966 to October 1967. Here, a remand is necessary to request an additional search to attempt to obtain information regarding and records of herbicide exposure for the period from January 7, 1967 to October 23, 1967. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Contact the JSRRC and request expansion of the search previously conducted to verify whether the Veteran was exposed to an herbicide agent at any time from January 7, 1967 to October 23, 1967 (previous search covered period from November 11, 1966 through January 6, 1967) while he was assigned to Don Muang RTAFB, Thailand. 2. Attempt to obtain a description of the Veteran’s daily work duties/assignments and his performance evaluation reports for his period of service at Don Muang RTAFB from November 7, 1966 to October 1967. A. C. MACKENZIE Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board M. Young, Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.