The Veteran's bladder cancer and left arm, forearm, and wrist shell fragment wounds are remanded for further development to determine the etiology of his conditions and their severity.
The deciding factor: The claims involve service connection based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange) during Vietnam service. The Board found that records in connection with the Veteran's 1991 treatment for bladder cancer should be obtained, and a VA examination is needed to determine if his bladder cancer is related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Bladder Cancer, Left Arm Shell Fragment Wounds, Left Forearm Shell Fragment Wounds, Left Wrist Shell Fragment Wounds
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20010532
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 20010532.
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 Veteran's hypertension was granted a 10 percent rating for the period prior to August 10, 2022. The Veteran's bladder cancer received a 100 percent rating from March 7, 2018 until September 8, 2018.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bladder cancer effective from December 16, 2005, finding that the Veteran had a claim pending since then.
- Granted
The Veteran's psychiatric disability, hypertension, and bladder cancer are granted service connection. The Board has remanded the cases for further development regarding herbicide exposure claims.
- Denied
The Veteran's bladder cancer residuals were denied as service connection was not established due to lack of in-service exposure to herbicides or asbestos, and the current disability is not related to his service.
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