The Veteran's death was attributed to metastatic bladder cancer, which is a radiogenic disease. His family claims he was exposed to ionizing radiation during Operation Plumbbob at Camp Desert Rock in Nevada. However, the available records do not confirm his presence there. The claim will be remanded for further development under 38 C.F.R. § 3.311.
The deciding factor: The AOJ failed to complete development of the claim based on exposure to ionizing radiation due to lack of military records confirming the Veteran's presence at Camp Desert Rock during Operation Plumbbob.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19163036
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 19163036.
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 the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his metastatic bladder cancer was likely incurred in or caused by his active service due to exposure to toxic chemicals, including benzene.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death, finding no evidence to support a link between any in-service conditions and the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cause of death is being remanded for a medical opinion regarding his exposure to ionizing radiation in service and its relation to his metastatic bladder cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for DIC benefits and service connection for cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's terminal metastatic bladder cancer to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The primary cause of death was listed as metastatic bladder cancer.
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