The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's death was linked to his service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
The deciding factor: VA failed to provide an adequate VA medical opinion on the issue of service connection for the cause of death based on presumed exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiopulmonary arrest, tracheitis due to aspiration pneumonia, anaplastic thyroid
- 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
- A26040705
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 A26040705.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death, finding that there was no evidence linking any of the immediate or contributing causes of his death to his period of active duty service. The Board also found that the PACT Act did not apply in this case as the Veteran served prior to the period when herbicide agents were presumed used.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cause of death and DIC benefits due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's conditions, including his thyroid cancer and diabetes. The appellant is seeking service connection based on Agent Orange exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for further medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death and hypertension are related to his presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's conditions, including his gastric cancer and other deaths-related issues, to his active service or any presumptive exposure to herbicide agents or contaminated water. The Board found that the medical opinions were most probative.
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