The Board is remanding the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding whether any of the Veteran's causes of death, including hypertension, heart disease, chronic lung disease, chronic renal dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus, type II, could be attributed directly to his military service. The examiner must reconcile conflicting opinions from Dr. Patel and Dr. Maki with prior VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Board previously denied the claim based on a May 2011 opinion that found no indication of hypertension, CAD, or other conditions during service. A new medical opinion is necessary to address whether any underlying causes of death could be attributed directly to service.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, heart disease, chronic lung disease, chronic renal dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, type II
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2013
- Citation
- 1303820
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 1303820.
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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The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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