The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's basal cell carcinoma and his service, specifically whether it is related to Agent Orange exposure or if it was present shortly after separation from service.
The deciding factor: The opinion requested by the Board must address whether the Veteran’s basal cell carcinoma is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury or disease, including the Veteran's accounts of extensive sun exposure during service in Vietnam, and whether his reports of sores on his head, shoulders and neck shortly after separation from service were an early manifestation of basal cell carcinoma.
- Claimed conditions
- recurrent basal cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19194998
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19194998.
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 a skin condition to ensure that all related conditions are considered and to correct a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a skin disability, finding that the Veteran's current skin disabilities did not begin during his military service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for recurrent basal cell carcinoma, TCC of the right kidney and ureter status post removal, and chronic renal disease are granted due to exposure to herbicide agents. The cases have been remanded for further development regarding TCC of the right kidney and ureter status post removal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions contributed to his death.
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