The Board has determined that the appellant's claim for service connection for cause of death must be remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding herbicide exposure in Thailand. The VA will seek verification from the JSRRC and attempt to obtain any additional pertinent records.
The deciding factor: Insufficient evidence was found regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during his service in Thailand, necessitating further investigation by the VA.
- Claimed conditions
- arrhythmia, acute myocardial infarction
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2018
- Citation
- 1803388
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 1803388.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for arrhythmia and a bilateral eye disability, but denied service connection for lipoma.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeals for service connection for various conditions, including arrhythmia and migraine headaches.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for premature ventricular contractions, tachycardia, angina, and arrhythmia as secondary to her service-connected asthma and PTSD due to a lack of evidence showing a current diagnosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing whether in-service toxic exposures led to hypertension and ultimately caused his death.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.