The Board remands the issues of service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the vocal cords and a gastroesophageal disorder, to include GERD, hiatal hernia, and Barrett's esophagus, due to further development needed.
The deciding factor: Further development is necessary to verify potential exposure to asbestos during the Veteran's service and obtain medical opinions regarding its relationship to the claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the vocal cords, gastroesophageal disorder, to include GERD, hiatal hernia, and Barrett's esophagus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2021
- Citation
- 21062522
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 chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, hiatal hernia, COPD, and prostate cancer as a result of toxic exposure during the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for GERD and hiatal hernia, effective March 31, 2020, but denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernia, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, varicose veins of the right lower extremity, and varicose veins of the left lower extremity as there was no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diverticulosis, GERD, and hiatal hernia as the evidence did not show a link to an in-service disease or injury.
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