The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to herbicide agent exposure, as there is no presumption of association with such exposures. The Veteran needs a medical opinion on whether his kidney cancer and skin cancers are related to his specific exposure.
The deciding factor: Direct service connection could be awarded if it is established that these disabilities developed due to the Veteran's specific exposure to herbicide agents like Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- status post left nephrectomy with renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer), squamous cell carcinoma of the left ear, cancer of the left forearm (skin cancer)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20039837
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 20039837.
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 the Veteran's claims for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the left ear and transurethral resection of bladder cancer as there was no evidence to support a finding that these conditions were related to his service, including any exposure to herbicides.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for allergic rhinitis and squamous cell carcinoma of the left ear, both presumed due to exposure to burn pits during military service in Southwest Asia. The other issues are remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for kidney cancer and skin cancer, finding that the conditions did not manifest within a presumptive period or due to herbicide agent exposure.,The Veteran's kidney cancer was first diagnosed in 1983, many years after his separation from service. The VA examiner concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support a connection between the Veteran’s herbicide agent exposure and his kidney cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the left ear, finding that it was not incurred in or related to service. The other issues are remanded due to need for additional development and examination.
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