The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to the adjudication of this claim due to missing VA treatment records and a need for VCAA notice. The case is REMANDED.
The deciding factor: The claims file does not contain all relevant medical records, including those from the Ann Arbor VAMC leading up to the Veteran's death on January [redacted], 2008, and there are gaps in the evidence regarding service connection for the cause of death. Additionally, a corrective VCAA notice is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- small bowel ischemia, hypotension, sepsis, HCV cirrhosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), TS vertebral collapse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 24, 2012
- Citation
- 1232804
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 1232804.
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.
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asthma, COPD, pancreatitis, stroke, and left arm weakness (claimed as secondary to stroke) based on the presumption of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or due to in-service exposure.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking readjudication of the previously denied claim for PTSD and multiple other conditions is dismissed due to a procedural defect. The Veteran's authorized representative at the time the appeal was submitted did not have the authority to file the appeal.
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