The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA treatment records and a need for clarification on the Veteran's care history. The cause of death is attributed to pancreatic cancer, but further investigation into the Veteran's service connection is required.
The deciding factor: Incomplete medical records and lack of clarity regarding the Veteran's care history prior to his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- Malignant neoplasm of the pancreas
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2022
- Citation
- 22019654
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 22019654.
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 claims for service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, accrued benefits, and survivor's pension benefits.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death, terminal malignant neoplasm of the pancreas, was found to be caused by his service-connected Type II Diabetes Mellitus, which is presumptively associated with Agent Orange exposure. The Board granted DIC benefits for the Veteran's widow.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death was related to his military service, including exposure to herbicide agents. The examiner is also requested to address whether his coronary artery disease contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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