The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's esophageal cancer and its relationship to his in-service herbicide exposure, as well as any other cancers he may have suffered from.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to provide a more definitive opinion on whether the Veteran's esophageal cancer was caused by or related to his in-service herbicide exposure, including if he had any other cancers that were related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- malignant neoplasms of the digestive system
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2016
- Citation
- 1615017
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1615017.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for colorectal cancer, small intestine cancer, and malignant neoplasms of the digestive system due to asbestos exposure during active service.
- Partly granted
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA opinion to determine whether the Veteran's esophageal cancer was etiologically related to his in-service herbicide exposure. The claim is currently pending and will be readjudicated after the additional development.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected gastrointestinal disability, which includes stomach cancer that was surgically treated via a near total gastrectomy procedure in January 2010, is entitled to a 100 percent rating for the entire appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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