The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the cause of death and the need for additional development.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion could not be reviewed because it was missing, and an additional opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's cancer was caused by his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19163451
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 19163451.
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.
- Denied
The Board found no evidence that the veteran's tongue cancer was caused by service or a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional medical examination is necessary to adjudicate the claims for service connection of nicotine addiction and carcinoma of the tongue. The case is REMANDED for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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