The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for soft palate cancer and its residuals due to a lack of adequate medical evidence addressing the relationship between his conditions and service, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The Veteran is required to provide updated VA treatment records and undergo a VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient competent medical evidence to determine whether the Veteran's soft palate cancer and its residuals are related to service, particularly due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- soft palate cancer, residuals of soft palate cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2020
- Citation
- 20031424
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 20031424.
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 Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection due to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for soft palate cancer and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to September 24, 2018. However, as of September 24, 2018, the Veteran was granted a 20% rating for his bilateral hearing loss.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no service connection decision could be made.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
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