The Board has identified errors in the pre-decisional duty to assist and remands the case for further development regarding the Veteran's exposure claims.
The deciding factor: Errors were found in the VA's failure to follow up on previous requests for verification of the Veteran's exposure claims, specifically regarding herbicide agents in Okinawa and contaminated water in El Toro, California.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic neuroendocrine cancer of the pancreas, ischemic cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2023
- Citation
- A23032914
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 A23032914.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, and requests medical opinions on the etiology of his coronary artery disease, GERD with dyspepsia, and upper respiratory infection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos and Agent Orange during service. The claims are now pending for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic cardiomyopathy was granted service connection as it met the definition of ischemic heart disease (IHD) listed in VA regulations, and he had this condition at the time his application for benefits was filed.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to active military service and exposure to toxins.
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