The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's allergic contact dermatitis and its relation to Agent Orange exposure. The AOJ is instructed to obtain a reliable report of the chemical composition of Agent Orange and refer the file for another VA examiner’s opinion.
The deciding factor: The August 2019 VA examiner's citation to Wikipedia as a source for determining the chemical composition of Agent Orange renders the opinion inadequate.
- Claimed conditions
- allergic contact dermatitis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20007289
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.
- Partly granted
Service connection for PTSD is granted. The claim for a rating of allergic contact dermatitis is remanded for further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected skin condition.
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