The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to scleroderma, but remanded for further development and opinion regarding whether the condition is related to herbicide exposure in service.
The deciding factor: The evidence received since the last denial includes a medical opinion linking scleroderma to herbicide agent exposure. The Board has ordered additional medical records and an expert opinion on the relationship between scleroderma and herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- scleroderma
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19188594
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19188594.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment since June 30, 2018. The Board has granted a TDIU effective July 1, 2018.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to their death. The claims for special monthly compensation, scleroderma service connection, Raynaud's disease service connection, bilateral hearing loss rating, and PTSD rating are not currently before the Board.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal regarding service connection for various conditions has been dismissed due to their death.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of lipomas, scleroderma, and polymyositis.
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