The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for colon cancer residuals, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities due to potential exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The VA must provide medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient competent medical evidence on file for the VA to make a decision on the claims without further examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- colon cancer residuals, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20078836
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 20078836.
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 the Veteran's claims for service connection for aortic aneurysm secondary to his service-connected hypertension, squamous cell cancer of the skin, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. The issues of entitlement to compensable ratings for hypertension and colon cancer residuals are also remanded due to potential impact on the issue of a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for PTSD and colon cancer residuals have been addressed in a previous decision. The current appeal is dismissed as the claims are still pending.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for fecal incontinence as secondary to the Veteran's colon cancer residuals and denied a TDIU prior to April 21, 2024 and a higher rating for heart disability prior to that date. The claim for a higher rating for colon cancer residuals was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for an examination to determine if the Veteran's colon cancer residuals are related to his service-connected irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or caused by it.
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