The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically whether his service-connected conditions contributed to his cancer and ultimately caused his death.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the appellant's testimony indicating potential exposure to UV rays during service which may have contributed to the Veteran’s fatal cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, right buccal mucosa, upper and lower lip, anterior floor of the mouth
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19108820
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19108820.
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 decided to remand the case due to a need for clarification on whether the Veteran's lung cancer is primary or metastatic from his oral cavity, and if it is metastatic, to determine its etiology related to in-service herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of a throat disability related to cancer surgery. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his squamous cell carcinoma and other conditions are related to exposure to chemicals at Camp Lejeune.
- Granted
The Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity is found to be related to his exposure to herbicides in service, and thus service connection is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the relationship between his oral cancers and service exposure to herbicide agents.
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