The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during service in Guam, which could potentially grant service connection for his cause of death. The claim will be remanded for this purpose.
The deciding factor: Herbicide exposure verification is required as a prerequisite to determining service connection based on herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary thromboemboli, deep venous thrombosis, subtotal pneumonectomy of the right lung, bronchial carcinoid
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2014
- Citation
- 1422960
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 1422960.
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 his appeals for various ratings related to deep venous thrombosis, dermatitis, hyperhidrosis, and right kidney cysts with punctate nephrolithiasis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection of superior vena cava syndrome, deep venous thrombosis, fibrosing mediastinitis, and hepatic steatosis must be remanded due to deficiencies in the previous VA opinions regarding their etiology. The AOJ is instructed to obtain addendum VA opinions addressing these issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a brain aneurysm and hypertension is denied. However, the Veteran's claim for hypertension is granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure in Vietnam under the PACT Act.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a stroke, finding that his stroke was not related to service and was due to a patent foramen ovale, which is a congenital defect. The Board also found no evidence of aggravation by an in-service injury or event.
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