The Board has remanded the case for a medical opinion to determine if any service-connected disability caused or contributed to the veteran's death, and whether Alzheimer's dementia hastened his death. The basic eligibility issue is also being referred back to the RO.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a medical opinion was necessary to ascertain causation of the veteran's death due to service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Alzheimer's dementia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2004
- Citation
- 0432689
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 0432689.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Alzheimer's dementia as secondary to bilateral hearing loss and special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance due to the Veteran's dementia.
- Granted
The Veteran's Alzheimer's dementia is granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam, including Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss contributed to his death due to Alzheimer's dementia and failure to thrive, finding that there was no causal connection.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Alzheimer's dementia, finding it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
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