The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient reasoning in the previous opinions regarding whether the Veteran's thyroid disorder is related to his in-service herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a rationale for their opinion, and thus a new examination with an explanation of the findings is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- thyroid disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069980
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension but denied service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, low back, left hip, gastrointestinal, bronchitis, sinusitis disabilities and denied an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for headaches and thyroid disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a thyroid disability to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding whether it is related to service or aggravated by a service-connected condition.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for a thyroid disability and bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of a thyroid disability due to herbicide exposure, as an addendum medical opinion is needed.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.