The Board has found a pre-decisional duty to assist error and remanded the claims for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for throat cancer, mouth disability, thyroid disability, and esophagus disability. The Veteran's symptoms of sore throat in service are noted, but no medical nexus opinions were provided.
The deciding factor: The Board found a pre-decisional duty to assist error due to the lack of an examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- throat cancer, mouth disability, thyroid disability, esophagus disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2026
- Citation
- A26018157
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 A26018157.
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 a failure to provide proper notice of the Veteran's right to a hearing before the AOJ, as required by regulatory and statutory duties.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's request for direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in an April 2025 rating decision, as the decision was not a result of a valid appeal and did not award any past-due benefits.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for lung cancer is denied. The claim for throat cancer is granted, and the Veteran is awarded a TDIU rating prior to August 10, 2022.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded 16 claims for service connection due to a failure to provide notice of the right to a hearing on a supplemental claim.
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