The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate consideration of the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, as well as the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Institute of Medicine's Veterans and AO: Update 2014 that concluded there is 'limited or suggestive evidence' of an association between hypothyroidism and herbicide. The Board also found it necessary to seek out private treatment records from Dr. L. and Dr. D.
The deciding factor: The Board failed to adequately address the impact of the Veteran's in-service exposure to Agent Orange and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune on VA’s obligation to provide an examination or opinion, as well as the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Institute of Medicine's Veterans and AO: Update 2014 that concluded there is 'limited or suggestive evidence' of an association between hypothyroidism and herbicide.
- Claimed conditions
- thyroid cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2021
- Citation
- 21011041
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 21011041.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal, so the case is dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer and associated residuals (claimed as testicular cancer) and thyroid cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a link to military service or exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypothyroidism is granted as secondary to his service-connected thyroid cancer, which was caused by exposure to herbicide agents during his naval service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases of diabetes mellitus type II, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (LLE PN), right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (RLE PN), and thyroid cancer for further development. The Veteran's claims are related to his exposure to herbicide agents at Fort McClellan (FTMC) in Anniston, AL.
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