The Veteran's claims for service connection for non-Hodgkins lymphoma and Hodgkins lymphoma are both denied. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical records and provide a supplemental opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's Hodgkin's disease.
The deciding factor: The VA clinician did not address the Veteran's report of a swollen gland in service that was removed following his 1981 diagnosis, which may be relevant to the etiology of his lymphoma.
- Claimed conditions
- non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Hodgkins lymphoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2021
- Citation
- 21074695
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 21074695.
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 Veteran's sleep apnea, prostate cancer, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma have been granted service connection on a direct basis.,Reasonable doubt has been resolved in favor of the Veteran for all three conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claims for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, GERD, erectile dysfunction, right and left upper extremity neuropathy, and right and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were granted in the March 20, 2023 rating decision. The appeal is denied as the Appellant is not eligible for attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in this decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development regarding exposure to RDX, a chemical compound used in hand grenades at Fort Jackson. The issues of service connection for non-Hodgkins lymphoma and heart condition are also being remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, erectile dysfunction secondary to diabetes mellitus, and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy secondary to diabetes mellitus. These conditions are presumed due to herbicide agent exposure in Thailand during military service.
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