The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and records to determine if the Veteran's death was causally related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's death from respiratory failure due to pneumonia was caused by his service-connected hiatal hernia.
- Claimed conditions
- pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, seizure disorder, alcoholism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2009
- Citation
- 0913874
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 0913874.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's alcoholism is secondary to his service-connected adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for pneumonia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and asthma as causes of death. The evidence did not support finding that these conditions were related to his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of esophageal condition, right foot condition, headaches, seizure disorder, traumatic brain injury, and hypertension have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran during a Board hearing. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, seizure disorder, photophobia, and headaches are being remanded due to the need to obtain Social Security Administration records.
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