The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's breast cancer and its relationship to her service-connected conditions, including uneven work hours and exposure to hazardous materials.
The deciding factor: The VA oncologist did not provide an opinion on whether the Veteran’s breast cancer was caused or aggravated by her service-connected breast calcifications, as required in the July 2019 Board Remand.
- Claimed conditions
- breast cancer, residuals of bilateral mastectomy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068547
Veterans Law Judge
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 20068547.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for breast cancer, as secondary to her fibrocystic breast disease. The decision is based on a duty to assist error and requires a new VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's breast cancer.
- Granted
The Veteran's breast cancer is granted service connection, with the Board finding that her condition is at least as likely as not related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for breast cancer and right knee disability due to a lack of VA examination and opinion addressing the etiology of these conditions in the context of her military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral tinnitus is granted. The claims for vertigo, breast cancer, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded due to insufficient development of evidence regarding toxic exposure risk activities (TERA). The claim for coronary atherosclerotic disease is also remanded.
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