The Board has remanded the case for further development and evaluation of the Veteran's death cause, specifically regarding service connection due to herbicide exposure, compensation under 1151, whether VA failed to diagnose colon cancer prior to 2005, and whether a MRSA infection was caused by VA treatment.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence has been submitted raising the possibility of service connection for the cause of death due to herbicide exposure. The case is remanded to obtain relevant medical records and conduct further evaluations on these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- colon cancer, heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18127517
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 18127517.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease are being remanded due to the need for VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, and low back pain due to potential errors in duty to assist. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's alleged exposure to herbicide agents and obtain private treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and its relation to service. The Veteran's atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and colon cancer are being evaluated for their relationship to toxic exposure during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for colon cancer and liver cancer is granted due to the relationship between his in-service toxic exposures, including burn pits. His liver cancer was found to be related to his now service-connected colon cancer.
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