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.
- Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder with alcohol abuse is at least as likely as not related to service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Dismissed
Your appeal for a higher rating for PTSD has been dismissed because the maximum possible rating (100%) was already granted in a previous decision.
- 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.
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