The veteran's claim for service connection for an enlarged heart, claimed as secondary to his service-connected hypertension, is being remanded due to conflicting medical opinions and the need for additional evidence.
The deciding factor: There are conflicting medical opinions regarding whether the veteran has cardiac enlargement and its likely etiology. The case requires a clarifying medical opinion and additional records from VA and non-VA providers.
- Claimed conditions
- enlarged heart
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2004
- Citation
- 0411388
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0411388.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's enlarged heart is directly related to service or secondary to his hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's motion to revise a May 1993 decision denying service connection for a heart condition, claimed as enlarged heart, based on an allegation of clear and unmistakable error (CUE).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension and hypothyroidism, both due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents under the PACT Act. Other claims were either dismissed or remanded for further evidence.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for higher ratings for knee conditions and hemorrhoids were denied. However, the veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU). Claims for service connection for an enlarged heart were denied, while claims for benign prostatic hypertrophy and erectile dysfunction were remanded.
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