The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the severity of his rheumatic heart disease and whether it has been aggravated by his nonservice-connected arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The issue of service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease due to rheumatic heart disease will also be addressed.
The deciding factor: The veteran's current symptoms are being evaluated to determine if they are attributable to his service-connected rheumatic heart disease or a nonservice-connected condition, specifically arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic heart disease, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2000
- Citation
- 0032485
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 0032485.
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 remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected cardiovascular disability, but denied a higher rating from December 15, 2022, through September 14, 2025.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a temporary rating of 100 percent for his heart disability from March 1, 2021 to June 1, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 60 percent prior to and after this period was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.
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