The Board has remanded the claims for service connection, secondary service connection, and DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's gastro cancer may be related to his in-service experience of entering a burning building and inhaling smoke, or it could be secondary to service-connected PTSD with depressive disorder and alcohol abuse in sustained remission. The Board needs further clarification from the appellant on whether she wishes to proceed as a substitute claimant for accrued benefits purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastric cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2018
- Citation
- 18139697
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 18139697.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his gastric cancer was at least as likely as not related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to gastric cancer that was linked to Agent Orange exposure during his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for cause of death due to gastric cancer, as a new medical opinion is required to address toxic exposures other than Agent Orange.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by his in-service asbestos exposure, leading to gastric cancer. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
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