The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate rationale in a previous opinion, and another opinion is needed to determine if squamous cell cancer of the throat is related to service, including herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on an inadequate rationale provided by a medical examiner who relied solely on NAS Updates without providing a full explanation for their opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell cancer of the throat
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 26, 2021
- Citation
- 21032304
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 21032304.
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 remands the claim for additional development to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error related to an inadequate VA opinion regarding the Veteran's squamous cell cancer of the throat.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for squamous cell cancer of the throat, finding that there was no evidence linking it to service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for squamous cell cancer of the throat, finding no evidence linking it to his military service or herbicide exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks service connection for squamous cell cancer of the throat based on in-service exposure to herbicides. The claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding a link between Agent Orange exposure and the development of squamous cell carcinoma.
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