The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including colon cancer, liver cancer, a heart disability (claimed as high cholesterol), a heart attack, high blood pressure, a gall bladder disability, and a ruptured appendix. The records from February 2004 to January 2011 need to be obtained and associated with the claims file.
The deciding factor: The Board found that not all of the Veteran's VA treatment records have been associated with the claims file, particularly those from February 2004 to January 2011. The examiner also noted a 10-year history of diabetes mellitus type II and a 20 pack-year smoking history in one of these records.
- Claimed conditions
- colon cancer, liver cancer, heart disability (claimed as high cholesterol), heart attack, high blood pressure, gall bladder disability, ruptured appendix
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19179962
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 remands the claim for service connection of colon cancer, claimed as due to exposure to asbestos, for an addendum opinion considering additional evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for colon cancer as the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and their in-service toxic exposure risk activity.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for arthritis of all joints from head to toe, sleep apnea, prostate cancer, high blood pressure, a right knee disability, and a left knee disability as there was no evidence of current diagnoses or etiological relationships to the Veteran's service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of service connection for hypothyroidism, diabetes type II, high blood pressure, insomnia disorder, and sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error and because these conditions may be secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected condition of hypothyroidism.
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