The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and the need for a VA examination. The heart disorder claim is related to Agent Orange exposure, but further development is needed as the Veteran's unit was not listed in recognized units. For the spina bifida claim, the Veteran needs to be verified if he was exposed to Agent Orange at Hill Air Force Base.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence and requires a VA examination for both claims due to the need for verification of exposure to Agent Orange.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disorder, Spina Bifida
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18135527
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 18135527.
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 Board has remanded the service connection claims for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Disorder due to a duty to assist error in obtaining opinions regarding whether these conditions are aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a heart disorder and OSA, as secondary to a heart disorder due to incomplete records and failure to consider all relevant in-service exposures. The Veteran's exposure to PFAS at Robins AFB is acknowledged, but further development is needed to address his COPD and smoking history.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim of compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a heart disorder is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the July 2020 VA medical opinion, which did not adequately address the Veteran's assertions regarding the carelessness or negligence of his health care providers and the failure to diagnose and treat his heart condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart disorder, characterized as an exercise induced left bundle branch block, began during his active duty service and is therefore granted service connection.
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