The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding service connection for a heart disability, including as related to herbicide exposure. The Veteran's heart conditions are being evaluated again with an emphasis on direct service connection and secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to address direct and secondary service connection for the Veteran’s heart disability in the initial examination.
- Claimed conditions
- supraventricular arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18154386
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 18154386.
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 Board has granted service connection for a heart disability, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's heart condition, finding that it is secondary to his service-connected PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for cardiomyopathy and hypertension due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in the April 2025 rating decision. The issues are being remanded for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's diagnosed supraventricular arrhythmia and congestive heart failure, finding that these conditions are related to his military service. The pansystolic murmur is also considered a condition of record.
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