The Board has decided to remand the case for an addendum VA opinion due to inconsistencies in the medical opinions provided.
The deciding factor: There are discrepancies between the November 2014 opinion and the Veteran's testimony regarding the carelessness, negligence, or fault on part of VA during the August 2011 aortic valve replacement procedure.
- Claimed conditions
- aortic valve replacement, aortic insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19100626
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,037 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19100626.
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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for aortic insufficiency, aortic stenosis and congestive heart failure, and carotid artery disease. The conditions are related to in-service exposure to toxic substances and stress.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the proposed reduction of his rating for hypertensive heart disease, including valvular heart disease and aortic insufficiency.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for non-rheumatic aortic valve stenosis and aortic valve replacement due to missing treatment records and the need for an opinion on the relationship between these conditions and in-service toxic exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer with urinary incontinence, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), aortic insufficiency, and urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer) as the evidence did not support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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