The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding the likely etiology of the Veteran's duodenal cancer, which caused his death.
The deciding factor: An addendum medical advisory opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's duodenal cancer is related to service, including presumed exposure to herbicides in Vietnam and other exposures.
- Claimed conditions
- duodenal adenocarcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21072559
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 21072559.
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 claim for service connection for his cause of death, finding that there was no evidence linking his duodenal cancer to service or any presumptive conditions. The Board also found that there was insufficient evidence to establish direct service connection due to chemical exposure in service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking duodenal adenocarcinoma to his active service or any service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the remand directives have not been substantially complied with and another remand is necessary to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's cause of death, including whether it was due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Veteran's duodenal adenocarcinoma and chronic fatigue syndrome are denied as service connection due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active service, specifically exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
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