The Board has determined that a medical opinion is needed to assess whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions contributed to or accelerated his death, and thus remands the case for further action.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that VA should obtain a medical opinion addressing the potential relationship between the Veteran’s death and his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease, Right lower extremity femoral nerve diabetic neuropathy, Left lower extremity femoral nerve diabetic neuropathy, Right lower extremity sciatic nerve diabetic peripheral neuropathy, Left lower extremity sciatic nerve diabetic peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19106058
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 Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of ischemic heart disease and diabetes, and these claims are dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension from August 10, 2022, under the PACT Act. The claim for a thyroid disability was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to request a medical opinion on whether service-connected hypertension or ischemic heart disease was a principal or contributory cause of the Veteran's death.
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