The Board remanded the claim for service connection for cause of death. The Veteran's death was not granted service connection based on presumption, but direct service connection is still being considered.
The deciding factor: A pre-decisional duty to assist error occurred because a medical opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's death and Agent Orange exposure has not been obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- malignant neoplasm of brain, sepsis due to pseudomonas, obstructive uropathy, hyperlipidemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25004539
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 907 · Granted: 35% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25004539.
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 found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in developing evidence related to possible ionizing radiation exposure and TERA participation. The claim will be reconsidered with proper development of this information.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic anxiety disorder, which was related to service, contributed substantially to his death from a stroke caused by diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the March 2025 decision denying eligibility for PCAFC benefits is legally inadequate and remands the case to allow for a new medical determination considering all relevant evidence, including the Veteran's conditions and functional ability.
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