The Board has remanded the claims for colorectal cancer, pulmonary hypertension, and mitral valve prolapse due to inadequate development and lack of proper consideration of factors related to ionizing radiation exposure. The Veteran will need a VA examination and an addendum opinion from the Chief Public Health and Environmental Hazards Officer.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional development is necessary prior to adjudication of the claims, including obtaining a VA examination and an addendum advisory opinion from the CPHEHO concerning the etiology of the Veteran's colorectal cancer due to ionizing radiation exposure in service.
- Claimed conditions
- colorectal cancer, pulmonary hypertension, mitral valve prolapse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19143469
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for basal cell carcinoma and a higher initial disability rating of 70 percent for other specified trauma-and-stressor-related disorder, while denying increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, right lower radiculopathy, bilateral hearing loss, chronic rhinitis, tension headaches, and mitral valve prolapse.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected mitral valve prolapse was denied a rating in excess of 60 percent prior to January 11, 2008 and from July 12, 2008 to December 22, 2024. However, the Board granted a 100 percent rating for this condition from January 11, 2008 to July 11, 2008 and from December 23, 2024 onwards.
- Granted
The Board granted a 100 percent disability rating for prostate cancer and colorectal cancer from January 6, 2020, to April 30, 2020, and a 20 percent rating for bowel incontinence associated with colorectal cancer from May 1, 2020.
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