The Board has remanded the case due to concerns about the adequacy of a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected kidney cancer metastasized to his pancreas, leading to his death. The examiner was directed to review specific documents and literature provided by the Appellant.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the January 2022 advisory opinion did not fully comply with the December 2021 remand instructions regarding the medical literature submitted by the Appellant and her representative in August 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- Kidney cancer, Pancreatic cancer
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 23, 2023
- Citation
- 23046925
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 23046925.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bladder and kidney cancer were dismissed as the Notice of Disagreement was not filed within one year of the denial.
- Denied
The Veteran's kidney cancer is already rated at 100% and a separate temporary total rating for convalescence is denied as the condition remains active.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death from pancreatic cancer may be service-connected due to environmental exposures in service, and thus remands for a medical opinion on this issue. The DIC benefits claim is also remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to pancreatic cancer, finding that it was caused by herbicide agent exposure and the service-connected diabetes mellitus. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
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