The Veteran's gastrointestinal condition, complete hysterectomy, peripheral neuropathy in the upper and lower extremities, and skin cancer are remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to service exposure to Agent Orange.
The deciding factor: The VA is required to obtain a medical opinion on TERA unless the claimed disability is clearly not associated with toxic exposure. The previous opinions did not consider TERAs and were therefore inadequate.
- Claimed conditions
- gastrointestinal condition, complete hysterectomy, peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, skin cancer of the face, arms, and neck
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2026
- Citation
- A26034580
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 A26034580.
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 granted the Veteran's requests to readjudicate his claims for service connection for coronary atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus type II, but has remanded the cases due to new evidence received. The claims are being remanded for toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) medical opinions regarding any possible nexus between the Veteran's claimed exposures in Camp Lejeune and his conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal condition, to include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is being remanded due to the need for a VA medical examination regarding his participation in toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs) during active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence, including missing VA and private treatment records. The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy is claimed as secondary to a back disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of various service-connected conditions have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation in any of these cases.
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