The Board has ordered reconsideration of the claims for service connection for left breast cancer, two left breast scars, and a right breast scar. The case is being remanded to obtain qualifications of the VA physicians who provided medical opinions in this case.
The deciding factor: The decision was vacated due to an order from a Deputy Vice Chairman of the Board ordering reconsideration of the February 2016 decision.
- Claimed conditions
- left breast cancer, two left breast scars (left upper outer quadrant due to a left breast partial mastectomy, and left axilla due to lymph node sampling), right breast scar (upper outer quadrant secondary to excisional biopsy)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20061591
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 20061591.
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 Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for left breast cancer, finding that her current disability resulted from in-service toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs). The positive and negative evidence is at least approximately balanced or nearly equal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left breast cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left breast cancer and associated residual partial mastectomy and lymph node sampling scars, finding that these conditions are related to her active duty service from June 2010 to July 2010.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for left breast cancer and residual scars, status post breast mastectomy to obtain an opinion under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2022 (PACT Act) due to the Veteran's presumed exposure to burn pits during her service in Iraq and Kuwait.
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