The Veteran's pulmonary fibrosis is being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the cause of his atrial fibrillation/arrhythmia, which he claims was caused by service-connected heart disease, diabetes mellitus, or sleep apnea. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricably intertwined nature with the pulmonary fibrosis claim.
The deciding factor: The examiner needs to determine if the Veteran's service-connected conditions (heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and/or sleep apnea) caused or aggravated his atrial fibrillation/arrhythmia, which was treated with Amiodarone. The exposure basis for herbicide agents is not applicable as there is no mention of such in the decision.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary fibrosis, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, atriial fibrillation/arrhythmia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2018
- Citation
- 18103987
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 18103987.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
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