The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's respiratory cancer and its relation to herbicide exposure. The claim will be reviewed again with a new medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA medical provider did not provide sufficient rationale for their opinions, leading to the need for another review by an appropriate examiner.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory cancer, cancer of the tongue
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22002488
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 22002488.
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 has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for tonsillar cancer (claimed as throat and respiratory cancer) due to a lack of evidence showing that his condition began during active service or is related to an in-service injury or disease, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral lung cancer, cancer of the tongue, and malignant tumor of tonsil and squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx to obtain a new VA opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for respiratory cancer as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected throat cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for new VA medical opinions to address the etiology of the Veteran's respiratory cancer and skin cancer, as well as further development regarding potential exposures in service.
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