The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure and the relationship between his metastatic carcinoma of the lungs and service. The VA will need to obtain additional medical records, including from Dr. Patel, Pinellas Medical Clinic, and Moffitt Cancer Center, as well as the Veteran’s military personnel record.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a new VA examination is necessary due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's in-service asbestos exposure and the relationship between his metastatic carcinoma of the lungs and service.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic carcinoma of the lungs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20037492
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 20037492.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for thyroid cancer and metastatic carcinoma of the lungs due to exposure to ionizing radiation, finding no evidence of such exposure or a causal relationship.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records of the Veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation and forwarding his claims file to the VA Under Secretary for Health for a dose estimate. The issues of service connection for thyroid cancer due to exposure to ionizing radiation and metastatic carcinoma of the lungs as secondary to thyroid cancer are inextricably intertwined and must be addressed together.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the appellant does not have thyroid cancer or metastatic carcinoma of the lungs due to service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The claims are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's request to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that no new and material evidence had been presented.
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