The Veteran's claims for service connection for basal cell carcinoma and prostate cancer are being remanded to the Under Secretary for Benefits due to exposure to ionizing radiation during his military service. The Under Secretary will determine whether there is sound scientific medical evidence supporting a conclusion that it is at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that the Veteran's diseases resulted from radiation exposure in service.
The deciding factor: The claims are being remanded due to the need for an expert opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's basal cell carcinoma and prostate cancer and his military service, specifically ionizing radiation exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- basal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Ionizing radiation
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2016
- Citation
- 1604296
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 1604296.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's basal cell carcinoma. The Veteran is seeking service connection for this condition, which he claims was caused by exposure to water-based contaminants at Camp Lejeune during his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
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