The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to potential exposure to chemical and/or herbicide agents at Fort McClellan, including Agent Orange. The Veteran is seeking service connection for breast cancer residuals, fibroadenomas of the breasts, chronic disability of the ovaries and uterus, and bowel perforation.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was potential exposure to chemical and/or herbicide agents at Fort McClellan but did not verify it. The Veteran's claims are remanded for further development including VA examinations to clarify diagnoses and etiologies.
- Claimed conditions
- breast cancer residuals, fibroadenomas of the breasts, chronic disability of the ovaries and/or uterus, residuals of a bowel perforation
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19129461
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19129461.
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 Veteran is granted an earlier effective date of June 24, 2019 for both a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The effective dates are tied due to the grant of TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for several conditions, including hypertension and breast cancer residuals. However, it remanded the claims for uterine leiomyomata (fibroids) and related issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's breast cancer residuals, including a modified radical mastectomy of the left breast and a simple mastectomy of the right breast, are rated at 40 percent for the left breast and 30 percent for the right breast.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for gastrointestinal conditions, breast cancer residuals, esophageal conditions, and gallbladder removal due to potential service connection based on secondary service connection.
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