The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's renal cell carcinoma and his military service, specifically exposure to herbicide agents. The VA is instructed to obtain an addendum opinion from a medical expert to address whether the Veteran's condition is related to his presumed exposure to Agent Orange during service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the existing opinions were insufficient due to their speculative nature and lack of adequate rationale for the conclusions reached.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of renal cell carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26023924
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 A26023924.
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 granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of renal cell carcinoma, finding an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence indicating that the condition was incurred in service due to exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for residuals of renal cell carcinoma due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, requiring a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations and private treatment records are inadequate for adjudication purposes. Therefore, the claims of entitlement to initial compensable ratings for residuals of renal cell carcinoma and left kidney removal, as well as TDIU, are being remanded to obtain missing records and conduct additional evaluations.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of renal cell carcinoma due to exposure to Agent Orange, finding that there is no causal link between his current disability and his active service.
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