The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's death was caused by exposure to chemicals, non-ionizing radiation, and/or herbicide agents during service. The examiner is requested to review all pertinent records associated with the claims file, including the service treatment records, post-service medical records, and the appellant's assertions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a VA medical opinion was needed due to the need for clarification regarding the cause of death and potential exposure during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatobiliary cancer, Bladder cancer, Pulmonary embolism
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19130885
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 Board granted service connection for bladder cancer, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and an acquired psychiatric disability (unspecified depressive disorder), but denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA's obligation to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration.
- Denied
The Board denied the restoration of a separate 50 percent rating for sleep apnea due to clear and unmistakable error in the May 2008 rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for bladder cancer as there was no evidence of voiding dysfunction or renal dysfunction, and the GFR was over 90.
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