The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's POW status and a need for an opinion on whether his terminal illness is related to in-service events, including his time as a prisoner of war.
The deciding factor: The service department needs to verify the Veteran’s claimed POW status, which could affect the determination of service connection for the cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- cardio-respiratory arrest, uncal herniation, massive intercerebral hemorrhage, hypertension stage III, pneumonia high risk, abdominal aortic aneurysm
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18119150
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 18119150.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board finds that the Veteran may have been exposed to toxic substances during his service, including RF radiation and asbestos. However, VA did not obtain an opinion regarding the relationship between these exposures and the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for the Veteran's abdominal aortic aneurysm as secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the original grant of service connection was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for abdominal aortic aneurysm, left lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, right lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, and erectile dysfunction were denied as there was no prior claim filed before August 15, 2022.,The Veteran's claims for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ were also denied as there was no prior claim filed before August 15, 2022.,Eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under 38 USC chapter 35 was denied as the Veteran did not have a permanent and total service-connected disability prior to August 15, 2022.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's abdominal aortic aneurysm, specifically addressing whether it is at least as likely as not caused by exposure to herbicide agents and asbestos during service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.