The Veteran's pancreatitis is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service, including the fungus infection shown in STRs and exposure to herbicide agents while serving in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: A VA examination is needed to assess whether the Veteran's pancreatitis is at least as likely as not related to his service or to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- pancreatitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2021
- Citation
- 21030467
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 21030467.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for pancreatitis was granted with a 30% rating, effective November 15, 2023. The Veteran also received service connection for migraines and left ankle sprain with tendinitis, both rated at 30% and 20%, respectively, effective the same date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection of pancreatitis is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service-connected psychiatric disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of November 12, 2020 for the award of special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance (SMC/A&A) due to service-connected disabilities.
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