The Board has ordered a new medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's claimed conditions are related to service, including exposure to chemicals other than tactical herbicides.
The deciding factor: The previous VA opinion did not substantially comply with the remand directive as it excluded potential risk factors for Parkinson’s disease and did not consider the likelihood of chemical exposure during service.
- Claimed conditions
- colon cancer, colorectal resection, prostate cancer, head and neck cancer, atrial fibrillation, neurological damage/Parkinson’s disease, peripheral vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19175782
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 denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal regarding the Veteran's entitlement to an initial compensable evaluation for atrial fibrillation is remanded due to unclear evidence on whether continuous medication is required for its control.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is granted an effective date of April 25, 2014, for service connection for prostate cancer.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.