The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was hypertensive heart disease, which is presumed due to his service in Vietnam. The claim needs further examination by a VA specialist to determine if hypertension and atrial fibrillation are related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The examiner will need to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's hypertension and atrial fibrillation are related to his military service, specifically his exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive heart disease, atrial fibrillation
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19121891
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (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 19121891.
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's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and other conditions, rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to July 21, 2025.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertensive heart disease as secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
- 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.
- 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.
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