The Veteran's claim for service connection for oral cancer is being remanded due to the need for a more definitive opinion regarding the relationship between his asbestos exposure during active duty and his current condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was based on an inaccurate factual premise, as VA has already conceded exposure to asbestos. The Veteran provided statements detailing exposure to asbestos, including four years of 'chipping' paint that contained asbestos.
- Claimed conditions
- oral cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2017
- Citation
- 1744867
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 1744867.
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 Board denied a compensable rating for hypertension and dismissed the appeal for service connection for oral cancer. The claims for a compensable rating for migraine headaches and service connection for oral cancer were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for oral cancer/facial skin cancer and an initial compensable rating for actinic keratosis due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded additional issues related to oral cancer and larynx cancer.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of July 29, 2022 for the grant of service connection for oral cancer based on exposure to contaminated water during service in Camp LeJeune.
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