The Board has remanded the case for further development and an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's thyroid cancer is related to his service, specifically herbicide exposure. The claim will be returned to the Board after this additional development.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner was requested to provide an opinion on whether current science and medical literature render it at least as likely as not that the thyroid cancer is related to the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicides, or otherwise related to his period of service.
- Claimed conditions
- thyroid cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2015
- Citation
- 1515190
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 1515190.
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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