The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's lung cancer was a primary site, if service-connected hemorrhoids were a contributory cause of death, and if any cancer had its onset or was otherwise related to service, including presumed exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a medical opinion is needed to address these issues due to the complexity and need for expert medical analysis.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic colon carcinoma, carcinoma of the colon
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20024358
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 20024358.
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 appeal for service connection for carcinoma of the colon was dismissed due to a late filing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a new VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's colorectal cancer, including whether it was caused by in-service exposure to herbicide agents and/or a reported exposure to strange dust following a hemorrhoid procedure.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death is not related to service, and the appellant is not recognized as his surviving spouse for death pension purposes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the case to determine if the Veteran's cause of death (colon cancer) was related to service or a service-connected disability, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents and reported exposure to strange dust following hemorrhoid procedure.
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