The case is being remanded to the RO for further consideration, including obtaining post-service treatment records and providing the appellant an opportunity to obtain other forms of evidence.
The deciding factor: The veteran's lung cancer may be presumed service-connected due to exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam if it was manifested within 30 years after his last date of service in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- small cell lung carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2000
- Citation
- 0016015
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 0016015.
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 for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized oncology medical treatment provided from January 2011 to April 2011 by Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, Washington as it was not authorized by VA and was not emergent.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be due to small cell lung cancer, which is presumed service-connected based on exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam service.
- Partly granted
The Board found it plausible that the Veteran was exposed to asbestos in service, but concluded that his lung cancer was not related to this exposure. The VA examiner's opinion is needed to clarify whether the lung cancer was related to any possible in-service asbestos exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion on whether the veteran's asbestos exposure during service was a contributory cause of his lung cancer and subsequent death.
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