The Board has decided that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for prostate cancer, lung disorder, chloracne, and heart arrhythmia with pacemaker due to exposure to herbicides. The RO must determine if the Veteran served in the National Guard at Fort Chaffee from May 27, 1967, to June 10, 1967, and obtain any outstanding VA treatment records for further examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found that clarification is needed regarding the Veteran's service at Fort Chaffee due to conflicting information in the record. Additionally, additional medical evidence may be required to determine if there was exposure to herbicides during service.
- Claimed conditions
- prostate cancer, lung disorder (asthma and allergic rhinitis), chloracne (actinic keratosis, rosacea, stasis dermatitis, dry skin), heart arrhythmia with pacemaker
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20011177
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 20011177.
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 diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer but remanded the claim for PTSD due to insufficient verification of stressor incidents.
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