The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on the issue of brain cancer because no VA examiner has opined whether the Veteran’s brain cancer is at least as likely as not related to his Agent Orange exposure while serving in Vietnam. The Veteran's service personnel records show he was stationed in Vietnam during active military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not provide a clear opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's brain cancer due to lack of VA examination and conflicting medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- brain cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18142747
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 18142747.
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 of service connection for liver cancer, lung cancer, and brain cancer due to procedural errors in obtaining an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's lung cancer.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by brain cancer and respiratory failure, which the VA medical examiner concluded were not related to his service. The Board found no evidence of asbestos or ionizing radiation exposure causing these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's brain cancer is granted service connection due to the PACT Act presumption of exposure. His TBI and jaw disability claims are denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases of prostate cancer, brain cancer, and erectile dysfunction (ED) for further development due to inadequate VA opinions.
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