The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on the issue of service connection for right renal cell carcinoma, to include as due to herbicide exposure because no VA examiner has provided an opinion. The case is being remanded for further examination and evaluation.
The deciding factor: The Board requires a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's kidney cancer is related to his active service, including exposure to herbicide agents (PACT Act/Agent Orange).
- Claimed conditions
- right renal cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18124647
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 18124647.
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 remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of an Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record (ILER) and potential burn pit exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's hypertension and its relation to service, as well as whether it contributed to his death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right renal cell carcinoma, finding an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding its attribution to service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right renal cell carcinoma, finding no evidence linking the condition to the Veteran's service or herbicide exposure.
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