The Veteran's claims of service connection for malignant neoplasms of bone, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and prostate cancer are being remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding their etiology.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for malignant neoplasms of bone. The claims for diabetes mellitus, type 2, and prostate cancer require further evaluation by a VA examiner to determine if they are related to service, including exposure to commercial herbicide agents while serving at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
- Claimed conditions
- malignant neoplasms of bone, diabetes mellitus, type 2, prostate cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180893
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 Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is granted an effective date of April 25, 2014, for service connection for prostate cancer.
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