The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, claimed as heart disease with atrial fibrillation, depressed left ventricular systolic function, and mitral valve regurgitation, to include as secondary to herbicide exposure, is being remanded due to the need for clarification of medical evidence and additional VA examination.
The deciding factor: Clarification is required regarding whether the Veteran has ischemic heart disease and if so, its etiology. The Veteran must be provided an opportunity to identify any relevant private treatment records and a VA examiner must provide an opinion on the nature and etiology of his cardiac disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, Atrial fibrillation, Depressed left ventricular systolic function, Mitral valve regurgitation
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2012
- Citation
- 1243445
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 1243445.
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 Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 30 percent prior to July 18, 2014, and a higher than 60 percent rating thereafter for ischemic heart disease is being remanded due to incomplete evidence. The examiner needs to provide more detailed information about the severity of his service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and increased rating for ischemic heart disease due to a failure by the AOJ to request SSA records, which were not available.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, status post stent placement, as well as obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for ischemic heart disease as there was no evidence of herbicide exposure and the Veteran's condition is not related to his military service.
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