The Veteran's death was not related to service, but a remand is required due to incomplete VA examination and new arguments from the Appellant regarding potential late diagnosis by the VA.
The deciding factor: The examiner provided insufficient rationale for the cause of death and exposure during service. The case requires an addendum opinion addressing these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- progression of cancer, prostate adenocarcinoma, rectal and ulcerative colitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20028521
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 20028521.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, prostate adenocarcinoma with urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) are remanded due to the PACT Act requirements.,A VA examination and medical opinion regarding whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's conceded toxic exposure risk activity are needed.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for various conditions, including neoplasm of the kidney and lung cancer, effective October 2, 2020, based on herbicide exposure during service in Thailand.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for chronic epididymitis, post operative left side and right side, as the Veteran's condition manifested with urinary frequency and nocturia. The reduction in rating was found to be improper.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a VA examination for his erectile dysfunction, as the previous examination was ambiguous regarding the presence of penis deformity. The prostate cancer residuals are rated at 60 percent and the anterior thoracic scars remain noncompensable.
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