The Board has determined that the veteran's autoimmune disorder, including lupus, was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The issue of service connection for a cardiac disorder is being remanded due to inadequate examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale for their opinions regarding hypertension and coronary artery disease.
- Claimed conditions
- autoimmune disorder, lupus, cardiac disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2005
- Citation
- 0503402
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 0503402.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sarcoidosis, which manifested to a compensable degree within one year of the Veteran's separation from service. The claims for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities from July 15, 2014 to June 12, 2019. Service connection for renal cysts and other conditions was denied.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for various conditions and denied service connection for a musculoskeletal disability, while remanding two skin and dizziness claims.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle synovitis and tenosynovitis, an autoimmune disorder, and diabetes mellitus due to lack of new and relevant evidence or a current diagnosis.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.