The Board has ordered further development due to the need for a medical opinion regarding the veteran's cause of death. The case will be sent back to the RO for this purpose and then reviewed again.
The deciding factor: Further evidence is needed in the form of a medical opinion from a VA cardiologist to determine if the veteran had beriberi heart disease at the time of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- beriberi heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 20, 2004
- Citation
- 0401911
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0401911.
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 Veteran's appeal includes multiple conditions, and the Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the nature and etiology of these conditions. The issues on appeal have been remanded for further action.
- Denied
The Board finds that the Veteran's current diagnoses of beriberi heart disease and coronary artery disease are not service-connected as they did not arise during his military service or within a year thereafter.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is being remanded to provide additional VCAA notice and a medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and other conditions on a presumptive basis as former POW's. The effective date is May 25, 2007.
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