The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to his exposure to herbicide agents, asbestos, and lead paint. The claims are also remanded for additional development related to potential asbestos and lead paint exposure during service. Additionally, the claims are remanded for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran currently has any residuals of pancreatic cancer, bilateral hearing loss disability, or tinnitus, and whether these conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service. Therefore, the claims for service connection were remanded for further development including obtaining deck logs of the USS Chipola (AO-63) and verifying potential asbestos and lead paint exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- pancreatic cancer, bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20029916
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 20029916.
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 hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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