The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's cause of death was related to his military service or any service-connected disabilities, including his use of Vioxx and other COX-2 drugs.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion will be obtained to determine whether the Veteran's congestive heart failure or mitral valve regurgitation is causally related to his active service or any service-connected disability, as well as if it was caused by his use of Vioxx and other COX-2 drugs.
- Claimed conditions
- fractured mandible, residuals of GSW of the right shoulder, malaria, GSW of the hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2013
- Citation
- 1302620
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1302620.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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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