The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lymphedema, which may be related to Agent Orange exposure or service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address whether the Veteran's lymphedema is caused by service-connected chronic kidney disease and hypertension, nor did they provide an opinion on presumed Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- lymphedema
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2026
- Citation
- A26040459
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 A26040459.
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 determined that the Veteran's appeal is remanded due to new evidence submitted after the initial decision, which includes private dermatologist treatment records diagnosing lymphedema. The VA examiner's opinion prior to this submission was deemed inadequate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error and for a new VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for post-phlebitic syndrome, left and right lower extremities due to a duty-to-assist error in the prior rating decision. The VA examination was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay statements of symptoms and the prescription for special compression appliances.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for osteoradionecrosis, bilateral eye disability (including cataracts and glaucoma), and bilateral hearing loss. It also granted a 10% rating for hypertension, a 50% rating for chronic sinusitis with rhinitis, and a 100% rating for lymphedema. The Board denied compensable ratings for the residuals of squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil and neck.
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