The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to potential herbicide exposure in Thailand, as transitional cell carcinoma and post-operative residuals of bladder cancer are not listed as presumptively associated with Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran's personal records indicate he was exposed to herbicides during his deployment.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is credible evidence the Veteran may have been exposed to herbicide agents in service, but urothelial/bladder cancer is not a disease listed as presumptively associated with such exposure. However, recent research suggests a potential link between bladder cancer and Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- transitional cell carcinoma (urothelial/bladder cancer), left renal pelvis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20001823
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 20001823.
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 transitional cell carcinoma and post-operative residuals of urothelial/bladder cancer, finding that the Veteran's bladder cancer was not related to his military service or exposure to herbicides, jet fuel, or diesel fuel.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Granted
Service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is granted. The appeal as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction is dismissed.
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