The Board has remanded three issues: service connection for skin cancer of the face due to Agent Orange exposure, service connection for allergies due to Agent Orange exposure, and service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and IVDS. The Veteran's service treatment records are silent on any skin disabilities or back injuries. There is no current diagnosis of skin cancer, but his VA medical records show a history of a rash on his face. Service connection for allergies and degenerative arthritis due to Agent Orange exposure is remanded as there was not an examination assessing the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that service connection cannot be established without a current diagnosis of skin cancer, which is lacking in the record. The Veteran's allergies and back disability are presumed to have been caused by his confirmed Agent Orange exposure, but further clarification on their causation during active duty is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- skin cancer of the face, allergies, degenerative arthritis of the spine and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- A20019198
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 A20019198.
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 Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected maxillary sinusitis and allergies, finding a causal relationship between these conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of November 24, 2009 for the award of service connection for rhinitis. The Veteran's claim was pending at that time and he had continuous allergy symptoms since service.
- Dismissed
The appeal as to the issues of service connection for tinnitus, low back disorder, stress, migraine headaches, and allergies is dismissed.,Nine new claims are being remanded: GERD, fatigue, bilateral plantar fasciitis, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder (including impingement), right wrist disorder, left wrist disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection on all listed conditions was dismissed due to the untimely filing of a Notice of Disagreement.
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