The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasons and bases in the July 2017 decision, specifically regarding the cause of death. The Court instructed the Board to provide a new VA medical opinion on whether the Veteran's alcohol use was caused or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the Board’s decision did not adequately address the issue of whether the Veteran's alcohol use was caused or aggravated by his service-connected skin disorders, and thus required further development with a new VA medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Pancreatic cancer, Alcoholism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19166794
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 19166794.
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 pancreatic cancer was related to herbicide exposure during his service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C.� 1318, Survivors Pension, and service connection for the Veteran's cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for pancreatic cancer and the Veteran's cause of death due to deficiencies in the record.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that there was no credible medical evidence linking pancreatic cancer to his military service at Camp Lejeune.
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