The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum from a VA physician regarding whether the veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to his death. The claim for burial benefits is also inextricably intertwined with the cause-of-death claim and must be addressed concurrently.
The deciding factor: The decision requires additional medical opinion on the relationship between the veteran's service-connected PTSD and his cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiac arrest, vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2006
- Citation
- 0617868
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 0617868.
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 granted service connection for the cause of death, determining that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's fatal conditions were caused by his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for further development, specifically requesting addendum medical opinions to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral pes planus and other orthopedic foot disorders, as well as lower extremity peripheral vascular disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's cardiac arrest and hypertension are related to his military service, specifically addressing his complaint of chest pain during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for aortic valve insufficiency and vascular disease, to include as secondary to hypertension, due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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