The Board has remanded the case for further development and medical opinions regarding service connection for cause of death (DIC) and under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on new evidence received more than one year after a previous denial, which raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim of entitlement to DIC.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis of the liver, rectal cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19144152
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 appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence linking rectal cancer to his active military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis of the liver, finding that it was due to herbicide exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver, but denied earlier effective dates for service connection and a higher rating for tinnitus.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.