The Veteran's claim for service connection for bladder cancer, including as due to in-service exposure to ionizing radiation, is remanded. The AOJ must follow the special development procedures set forth in § 3.311(a) and obtain a dose estimate from the Department of Defense.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bladder cancer was not recognized as a radiogenic disease under VA regulations, thus requiring further development to determine if he was exposed to ionizing radiation during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bladder Cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19195830
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 19195830.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bladder cancer, and lung cancer as secondary to the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities, and bladder cancer as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active military service or any service-connected disability.
- Dismissed
The issues of entitlement to restoration of basic eligibility for DEA benefits and an additional compensable rating for diabetic nephropathy were withdrawn by the Veteran, and are therefore dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's bladder cancer has been granted a 100 percent evaluation since April 2, 2019. The rating was previously at zero percent from September 1, 2019.
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