The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right breast cancer, bilateral skin sparing mastectomy, and left and right breast scarring due to a duty to assist error in obtaining a VA examination regarding potential exposure to contaminated water during active service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for service connection is remanded because there was a duty to assist error in the prior rating decision that did not obtain a VA examination addressing her potential exposure to contaminated water during active service.
- Claimed conditions
- right breast cancer, bilateral skin sparing mastectomy, left and right breast scarring
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2026
- Citation
- A26029552
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 A26029552.
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 Veteran's costochondritis is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for right breast cancer and obstructive sleep apnea are denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right breast cancer, kidney cancer, and sinusitis under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 due to presumptive service connection.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's right breast cancer and right breast partial mastectomy scars were granted increased ratings to 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively. The claim for a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities was denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for right breast cancer was denied in December 2020, but the effective date of her service-connected status is set to March 16, 2022 due to a supplemental claim filed on that day. The PACT Act did not apply as it took effect after the denial.
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