The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine if his heart disorder underwent a permanent increase in severity during service and whether such increase was due to the natural progression of the disease. The Veteran should also be provided with notice on the evidence required to substantiate a claim based on aggravation.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a new VA examination is needed to determine if there was a permanent increase in severity of the heart disorder during service and whether such increase was due to natural progression.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic heart disease, aortic insufficiency and murmur
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 5, 2009
- Citation
- 0929212
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 0929212.
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 veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatic heart disease was granted. The claim for hypertensive vascular disease was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for glaucoma, Parkinson's disease, and dementia due to potential TERA exposure. The rating for bilateral hearing loss is also being remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date prior to November 2, 2017, and higher ratings for his heart disability and bilateral knee disabilities have been denied. The Board found that the earliest possible effective date is November 2, 2017, when VA received the claim after final disallowance. For the knee disabilities, the evidence did not show limitation of flexion to less than 30 degrees or more exacerbations per year.
- Granted
The Veteran's rheumatic heart disease with coronary artery disease, status post stent placement is rated at 60 percent effective April 20, 2023.
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