The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the veteran's heart disorder is related to his service-connected anxiety disorder and whether he had a heart disorder prior to or during service.
The deciding factor: The decision was not made on the merits of the claim as it pertained to secondary service connection, which requires consideration of aggravation by a pre-existing condition. The Board has ordered further development to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 10, 2004
- Citation
- 0406348
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 0406348.
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 service connection for hypertension, a heart disorder, and diabetes mellitus as the evidence did not support a positive nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart disorder, specifically atrial fibrillation, due to exposure to herbicide agents during active duty service in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for heart disorder, stroke residuals, sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to obtain addendum opinions addressing specific risk factors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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