The Veteran's bladder cancer is granted service connection as due to herbicide agent exposure. The claims for hypertension, acquired psychiatric disorder, OSA, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence did not support a direct relationship between the conditions and service, but conceded herbicide agent exposure in the waters of Vietnam and noted sufficient evidence linking hypertension to herbicide agent exposure. The claims for hypertension, acquired psychiatric disorder, OSA, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded as new medical opinions are needed.
- Claimed conditions
- Bladder cancer, Hypertension, Acquired psychiatric disorder, Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21067045
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 21067045.
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 the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
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