The Board is remanding the case to obtain a properly informed medical opinion from a VA physician regarding whether a disability of service origin was a primary or contributory cause of death. The Veteran's death certificate indicates that he died due to diabetes, coronary artery disease, and cerebrovascular accident.
The deciding factor: The Court found insufficient reasons for the Board's decision on the October 2006 private physician's opinion regarding whether service-connected conditions caused or contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- typhus, malaria
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 3, 2011
- Citation
- 1128725
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 1128725.
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 detail in a previous VA medical opinion regarding whether malaria or scarlet fever during service contributed to the Veteran's death. The case must be returned for further evaluation.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for malaria was dismissed because the November 17, 2025 request for Board review came before the September 16, 2025 higher-level review of the same issue had been completed.
- Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the Appellant, and no decision can be made on the underlying claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors and additional examinations are required. The AOJ will also request clarification from the Veteran regarding his claim for malaria.
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