The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for metastatic breast cancer due to conflicting evidence and lack of a medical opinion linking the cause of death to service or Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: There is conflicting evidence regarding the cause of death, with some lay statements suggesting other cancers were present at the time of death. There is also no etiological opinion linking metastatic breast cancer to service or Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic breast cancer, stage IV lung cancer, bone cancer, stage IV liver cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20035323
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 20035323.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Veteran's bone cancer claim is denied because there is no current disability. Service connection for myeloma with myelodysplastic syndrome (claimed as leukemia) has been granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases of prostate cancer and bone cancer for further review due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appellant's claims for accrued benefits due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's cancers and his service-connected disabilities, specifically gastritis with hyperacidity and coronary artery disease. The VA is required to obtain medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right kidney cancer, stomach cancer, and bone cancer.
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