The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of VA examination and medical opinion regarding the etiology of the thyroid disorder, which may be related to Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the duty to assist requires a remand for a VA examination and medical opinion discussing the etiology of any diagnosed thyroid disorder and addressing the Veteran's contentions.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19146127
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (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 19146127.
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 Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of a thyroid disorder in February 2021.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a thyroid disorder was dismissed because the appeal was improperly docketed at the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, a bilateral foot disability (other than bilateral plantar fasciitis), to include gout, right hand and left hand disabilities, as well as a thyroid disorder, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea. The Board also granted a TDIU from September 25, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder and radiculopathies of multiple extremities, due to insufficient evidence and the need for additional development.
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