The Veteran's death was attributed to metastatic prostate cancer. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of his death, claiming it is due to herbicide exposure during his service in Panama Canal Zone. The case has been remanded for further investigation into Agent Orange use in the Panama Canal Zone.
The deciding factor: The claim requires verification of Agent Orange or other related defoliant use in the Panama Canal Zone during the Veteran's service, which was not fully addressed in previous investigations.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic prostate cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2011
- Citation
- 1145959
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 1145959.
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 service connection for the Servicemember's cause of death, including ALS, myasthenia gravis, and metastatic prostate cancer, as they were not incurred during or related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation for service connection for metastatic prostate cancer, as well as the claim for service connection for cause of death due to a duty to assist error. The remand is necessary because the VA examiner did not address whether the Veteran's TCE exposure during service was related to his prostate cancer.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, including Agent Orange. The decision is based on the presumption that the Veteran was exposed during his service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's metastatic prostate cancer, which contributed to his death, was related to his in-service toxic exposures at Camp Lejeune.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.