The Veteran's claims for service connection for gallbladder, small intestine, and spleen cancers are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for pancreas cancer is remanded due to the need for further development regarding exposure to Agent Orange.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a current diagnosis of gallbladder, small intestine, or spleen cancers. The Board finds that these conditions are not related to military service.,The Veteran's pancreas cancer claim requires additional information regarding his alleged exposure to Agent Orange. Without this information, the Board cannot determine if there is a causal relationship between the claimed condition and service.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the gall bladder, cancer of the small intestine, cancer of the spleen, cancer of the pancreas
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20047208
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 20047208.
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 cancer of the small intestine, finding that there is not a link between the condition and in-service herbicide exposure or any other in-service injury. The Veteran's current diagnosis was diagnosed more than three decades after his separation from service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for cancer of the small intestine and basal cell carcinoma, finding that both conditions are directly related to in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of cancer of the small intestine due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cancer of the small intestine (also claimed as neuroendocrine cancer), finding that his exposure to herbicides in Vietnam and/or contaminants at Camp Lejeune is likely related to his condition.
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