The Board has vacated the March 2019 decision denying compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of thyroidectomy and service connection for thyroid disease and residuals thereof, to include as due to herbicide exposure. The claims are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the March 2019 decision did not provide adequate reasons and bases for finding VA's duty to assist fulfilled, leading to a denial of due process.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid disease, Residuals of thyroidectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19174949
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 19174949.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically regarding the Veteran's exposure to contaminated ground water at Fort Jackson and his thyroid disease. The AOJ is instructed to obtain necessary medical opinions on these issues.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a thyroid condition, including residuals of a thyroidectomy and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claim for thyroid disease and residuals of thyroidectomy was denied. The compensation claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the residuals of a thyroidectomy was also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of the compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 claim and potential need for additional medical opinions regarding service connection.
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