The Board has remanded the case for further investigation and determination regarding whether the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam, which could potentially establish a presumption of exposure. The cause of death is also under review.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran was exposed to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam, necessitating further investigation and verification.
- Claimed conditions
- Cancer of parotid gland, Alcohol abuse, Smoking
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2018
- Citation
- 18144679
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 18144679.
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 service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, alcohol abuse, a liver disability, and hand and eye disabilities, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or secondary to any service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, GERD, and OSA due to a need for additional evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and tinnitus, while denying service connection for various other disabilities including the right ankle, left ankle, right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, left knee, heart, respiratory, kidney, venous thrombosis, urinary hesitancy, acute metabolic encephalopathy, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep disturbance, abdominal distension, atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease, neurological disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, erectile dysfunction, stroke, skin disability, fibromyalgia, bilateral foot pain, hammer toes, tinea pedis, meningitis, GERD, traumatic brain injury, and irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss and a back disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for PTSD, alcohol abuse, and hypertension due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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