The Board has determined that there are outstanding VA and private treatment records, as well as service personnel records, which need to be obtained in order to make a fully informed decision on the Veteran's claims for service connection. The Board also finds that additional development is needed regarding the Veteran’s asserted radiation exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision without obtaining all relevant medical and service records, including any outstanding treatment records from VA and private providers, as well as the Veteran's complete service personnel records for his entire period of service. The Board also needs to determine whether the Veteran was exposed to ionizing radiation during his service at Enewetak Atoll cleanup project.
- Claimed conditions
- colon polyps, prostate disability, joint pain and arthritis, bursitis, gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, diabetes mellitus type II
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20012243
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 20012243.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
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