The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional medical evidence and determine whether the veteran's aortic valve replacement was caused by service or another condition.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions are conflicting, and further examination is needed to clarify the etiology of the veteran's aortic valve replacement.
- Claimed conditions
- aortic valve replacement, rheumatic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2003
- Citation
- 0314515
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 0314515.
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 claims for service connection for non-rheumatic aortic valve stenosis and aortic valve replacement due to missing treatment records and the need for an opinion on the relationship between these conditions and in-service toxic exposure.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatic heart disease was granted. The claim for hypertensive vascular disease was remanded.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for aortic valve replacement since December 21, 2021 was granted. The claim for a compensable rating for the midline chest scar was denied. Other issues were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and aortic valve replacement as secondary to coronary artery disease are remanded due to the need for a VA opinion regarding exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.
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