The Board previously denied service connection for non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with CHF due to herbicide exposure, but the Court has ordered a remand as there was insufficient explanation of why further medical inquiry is needed. The case is now being sent back for a VA examiner to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's current heart conditions are related to his service and herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The previous Board decision did not adequately explain why a medical opinion regarding the direct relationship between herbicide exposure and the Veteran's heart conditions was needed.
- Claimed conditions
- non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure (CHF), atrial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19112140
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,592 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19112140.
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 atrial fibrillation and distressed heart (previously claimed as irregular heartbeat) based on evidence of a link to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right groin pain, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, cardiac arrest residuals, left kidney disease, stroke residuals, vertigo, and vision loss. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred in or are otherwise related to service.,The Board found no credible evidence showing the Veteran experienced any of these conditions during his active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received for the claims of service connection for bilateral dry eye disorder, atrial fibrillation (including as secondary to hypertension), left eye disorder other than dry eye including amaurosis fugax, and right foot or ankle disorder (including as secondary to left foot and/or left ankle disability). The appeals are remanded due to insufficient evidence in the current record.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's atrial fibrillation is at least as likely as not related to his active-duty service and grants service connection for this condition.
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