The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's fatal brain tumor had its onset during service or was otherwise related to his military service. The VA needs to obtain an addendum opinion addressing these matters.
The deciding factor: The July 2017 VA examiner did not specifically address whether the Veteran’s headaches and memory loss at the end of service are related to his later-diagnosed brain tumor, as directed by the Board in the November 2014 Remand.
- Claimed conditions
- Glioblastoma Multiforme
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20067637
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20067637.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for a traumatic brain injury and remanded the issues of service connection for glioblastoma multiforme, cause of death, and SMC based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status. The case is being returned to the RO for further development.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's glioblastoma multiforme and atrial fibrillation, which led to his death, were not caused by or related to service or Agent Orange exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further verification of the Veteran's POW status and a clarification of the cause of death, as well as additional development regarding service connection.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability and denied both his claim for service connection for the cause of his death and his eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits.
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