The Board has vacated its July 2014 decision and remanded the case for compliance with a Joint Motion for Remand. The case is now being reviewed to determine if there is a causal relationship between the Veteran's exposure to JP-4 jet fuel and his post-service diagnosis of metastatic gastric carcinoma.
The deciding factor: The Board found that VA was not required to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death as there was no credible evidence of herbicide exposure during service or any other indication that his fatal disease was related to service. However, the examiner did not address whether the Veteran's exposure to JP-4 jet fuel caused or resulted in his post-service diagnosis.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic gastric carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2015
- Citation
- 1550989
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 1550989.
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 Veteran's cause of death from metastatic gastric carcinoma was not service-connected, and there is no evidence to support presumptive service connection due to Camp Lejeune exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic gastric carcinoma, which is presumed to have been incurred in or related to his military service. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death based on the PACT Act presumption.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to metastatic gastric carcinoma, which is presumed to have been incurred in or related to his military service under the PACT Act.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic gastric carcinoma, was presumptively related to his service in Southwest Asia and the PACT Act exposure presumption.
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