The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his exposure to Project SHAD and its associated toxins. The claims are now pending again with instructions to obtain addenda to the March 2021 examiner's opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not address the materials submitted by the Veteran indicating potential health implications of cadmium exposure, including but not limited to the reference sheet submitted in July 2013.
- Claimed conditions
- pleurisy, pneumonia of the lungs, residuals of a surgically removed bronchogenic cyst of the left lung adrenal gland, kidney cysts, low back disability, cervical spine disability, gastrointestinal disability (diverticulitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)), headaches
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2021
- Citation
- 21032573
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 21032573.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
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