The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's esophageal cancer and its relationship to his military service, specifically exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions did not consider all theories of entitlement raised by the Veteran, including direct service connection based on herbicide agent exposure and combined effects of multiple toxic exposures.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2023
- Citation
- A23035636
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 A23035636.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was related to his exposure to herbicides in service, and thus service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran’s death based on VA treatment, finding no fault on the part of VA.,The appeal is also remanded to obtain additional medical records from Huntington VAMC dating back to 1974.
- Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by his exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. The Board found the evidence supported that his gastroesophageal cancer, which led to his death, was due to this exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune is related to any current disabilities, including respiratory failure, bowel obstruction, gastroesophageal cancer, and prostate cancer.
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