The Veteran's claim for service connection for tongue cancer is remanded due to duty-to-assist errors and the need to verify herbicide agent exposure in the offshore waters of Vietnam.
The deciding factor: Additional development is required to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors and determine if the Veteran had service in the Republic of Vietnam, including potential exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- tongue cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2020
- Citation
- A20008864
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A20008864.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted effective September 18, 2023. Effective that date, the Veteran also becomes eligible for DEA benefits and has an effective date of service connection for various conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was due to tongue cancer (metastatic) and hypercalcemia. The Board denied service connection for the cause of death as there is no evidence linking the tongue cancer or hypercalcemia to service, including exposure to herbicides or contaminated water from Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims of service connection for a skin disability, throat cancer, tongue cancer, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as there was no valid claim or appeal pending at the time of the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for tongue cancer has been withdrawn and dismissed by the Veteran.
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