The Board has found that the claim for an increased rating is dependent on a determination of the propriety of the February 2017 rating reduction. The inextricably intertwined claim for an initial compensable rating for testicular cancer must be remanded to issue a Statement of the Case regarding the reduction claim.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the increased rating claim is dependent on the propriety of the February 2017 rating reduction, and thus cannot proceed without first addressing this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- testicular cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19196664
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 19196664.
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 testicular cancer, finding no evidence of an in-service disease or injury and no link to herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for testicular cancer under the PACT Act, presuming it resulted from in-service exposure to burn pits.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an initial compensable rating for hypertension and the appeals for service connection for hypothyroidism, testicular cancer, colon cancer, and basal cell carcinoma were dismissed due to a violation of the prohibition against simultaneous review of the same claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for testicular cancer due to a need for a new opinion regarding the nexus between the Veteran's in-service toxic exposures and his current condition.
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