The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and determining if the Veteran's service-connected conditions contributed to his death.
The deciding factor: Further medical opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and/or gunshot wound residuals contributed substantially or materially to cause his death.
- Claimed conditions
- Myocardial Infarction, Ventricular Fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2011
- Citation
- 1141541
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 1141541.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there is no competent evidence to suggest that PTSD contributed to his passing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death was caused by his conditions (Ventricular Fibrillation, Cardiac Arrest, and Heart Failure), which the Board finds may have been exacerbated or worsened due to VA treatment. The Board is remanding the case for a new medical opinion to determine if VA negligence contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a separate rating of 10 percent for implantation of cardiac pacemaker due to third degree atrioventricular block is granted. The minimum 10 percent rating is assigned under DC 7018, as the Veteran does not experience supraventricular arrhythmias or ventricular arrhythmias related to his service-connected heart disability and the symptomatology is already contemplated by the rating for CAD.
- Granted
The Board granted compensation pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the appellant.
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