The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify the Veteran's service in Vietnam and to determine if atherosclerosis of the aorta, one of the causes of death, is related to service. The appellant must provide any necessary information to assist with these requests.
The deciding factor: The cause of death listed on the Veteran's death certificate (atherosclerosis of the aorta) was not included among the herbicide-presumptive diseases and the Board found that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam, thus denying service connection. The remand is to clarify this issue as requested by the Veterans Court.
- Claimed conditions
- Atherosclerosis of the aorta
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2014
- Citation
- 1412560
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 1412560.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's nonservice-connected disabilities, including PTSD with alcohol dependence and degenerative joint diseases of the spine, knee, and foot, have rendered him permanently and totally disabled for pension purposes.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his cardiovascular conditions to service or any presumptive exposure. The appellant's claim was not granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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