The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records of the Veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation and forwarding his claims file to the VA Under Secretary for Health for a dose estimate. The issues of service connection for thyroid cancer due to exposure to ionizing radiation and metastatic carcinoma of the lungs as secondary to thyroid cancer are inextricably intertwined and must be addressed together.
The deciding factor: The case is being remanded because the Veteran's claims involve potential exposure to ionizing radiation, which requires additional development including obtaining records of such exposure and forwarding his claims file for a dose estimate from the VA Under Secretary for Health.
- Claimed conditions
- thyroid cancer, metastatic carcinoma of the lungs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2013
- Citation
- 1335881
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 1335881.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal, so the case is dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer and associated residuals (claimed as testicular cancer) and thyroid cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link to military service or exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypothyroidism is granted as secondary to his service-connected thyroid cancer, which was caused by exposure to herbicide agents during his naval service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases of diabetes mellitus type II, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (LLE PN), right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (RLE PN), and thyroid cancer for further development. The Veteran's claims are related to his exposure to herbicide agents at Fort McClellan (FTMC) in Anniston, AL.
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