The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a skin disability due to exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam. The Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange, and his post-service medical records show current diagnoses of skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma in-situ) and hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an additional VA examination and opinion are necessary due to the lack of a recent VA examination for the claims and the need to consider whether the Veteran's conditions are related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Claimed conditions
- skin cancer, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 11, 2021
- Citation
- 21028444
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 21028444.
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's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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