The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence on whether the Veteran's heart conditions are related to his in-service herbicide exposure. The examiner is asked to provide a supplemental opinion addressing this issue.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was not sufficient medical evidence to determine if the Veteran's heart conditions are related to his in-service herbicide exposure, and thus remanded for further examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Congestive Heart Failure, Valvular Heart Disease, Cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19124226
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis as these conditions were not related to the Veteran's service, including his exposure to Agent Orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, and erectile dysfunction.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure with ICD placement, diabetes mellitus, gastroesophageal reflux disease, tinnitus, sinus tachycardia, and cardiomyopathy. The claims for irritable bowel syndrome and an acquired psychiatric disorder were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for COPD, obstructive sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension as not being related to the Veteran's active duty or secondary to his service-connected GAD. However, congestive heart failure was granted due to a secondary relationship with his service-connected GAD.
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