The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death, metastatic squamous cell cancer, is related to his military service and specifically to toxic exposure risk activities during Persian Gulf War service.
The deciding factor: The Board notes that the PACT Act requires VA to provide an examination and medical opinion on this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- metastatic squamous cell cancer
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 24, 2024
- Citation
- A24060186
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 A24060186.
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 remanded the case due to the need for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's tonsillar cancer was related to Agent Orange exposure during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic squamous cell cancer, which is not service-connected. His service-connected diabetes did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that a rationale for the opinion rendered is inadequate and thus requires a new VA medical opinion to determine if the service-connected diabetes mellitus contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's death, combined with his death, or aided in producing it.
- Denied
The Board found that the cause of death, metastatic squamous cell cancer, was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and is not causally related to a service-connected condition. The veteran's lung cancer, which caused his death, was not shown to be due to Agent Orange exposure.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.