The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate discussion of a prior remand regarding the adequacy of a medical opinion on the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The Joint Motion for Remand requires another medical opinion as the previous one did not address the adequacy of the April 2017 Veterans Health Administration medical opinion and did not rely on the fact that the Veteran’s condition was not listed as presumptive under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19159225
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19159225.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's lymphoma and scar have been granted effective dates of August 23, 2018. The Veteran is service-connected for his lymphoma with an initial noncompensable rating, and the RO has not assigned a compensable rating for his scar.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for malignant neoplasm of lymph nodes of the head, face, neck and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding their etiology.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death is being remanded due to the need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether his cause of death, ischemic heart disease and hypertension, are service-connected. Additionally, the burial benefits claim is inextricably intertwined with these issues.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for an opinion regarding the causal relationship between the Veteran's cancers and his herbicide agent exposure in service, as well as the cause of death.
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