The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for atrial fibrillation, essential hypertension, diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, kidney disease, stroke, and heart disease due to potential exposure to firefighting foam, diesel oil, and fumes during military service. A VA medical opinion is needed to assess whether these conditions are related to toxic exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded because the evidence does not establish service connection on the merits but there is a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim due to potential exposure to TERA (toxic exposure risk activity).
- Claimed conditions
- atriial fibrillation, essential hypertension, diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, kidney disease, stroke, heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2023
- Citation
- A23027936
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A23027936.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits are being remanded due to new evidence and development needs. The maximum disability rating for tinnitus has already been assigned.
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