The Board has ordered additional medical opinions and requested the Veteran's terminal medical records to determine if his glioblastoma is related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam, as well as whether auditory canal disease was a contributing factor to his death. The case will be remanded for these actions.
The deciding factor: The cause of death involves two conditions: glioblastoma and auditory canal disease. The Board needs additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service and his glioblastoma, as well as whether auditory canal disease was a contributing factor to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- multiform glioblastoma, auditory canal disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2013
- Citation
- 1341729
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 1341729.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities made him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to November 14, 2014. The Board granted entitlement to TDIU for this period.
- Granted
The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted as new and material evidence has been received, reopening the previously denied claim. The appellant contends that the cause of death was due to her husband's service-connected otitis externa, but the VA medical opinions do not support this contention.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing a VA examiner with appropriate expertise to determine if the veteran's death was related to his service or presumed Agent Orange exposure.
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