The Veteran seeks service connection for thyroid cancer and Hashimoto's disease, claiming these conditions are due to ionizing radiation exposure during her military service. The Board finds a pre-decisional duty to assist error has occurred and remands the case for further development related to radiogenic diseases.
The deciding factor: A pre-decisional duty to assist error was identified in relation to the Veteran's claim of service connection based on ionizing radiation exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- thyroid cancer, Hashimoto's disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2020
- Citation
- A20017435
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 A20017435.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal, so the case is dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating and earlier effective date for Hashimoto's disease has been dismissed as the identical claim was adjudicated in a previous decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer and associated residuals (claimed as testicular cancer) and thyroid cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link to military service or exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypothyroidism is granted as secondary to his service-connected thyroid cancer, which was caused by exposure to herbicide agents during his naval service.
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