The Board has jurisdiction over both the issues of service connection for a heart murmur and a prostate disability. The Veteran's assertions that his conditions were caused by exposure to herbicide agents, including being sprayed with liquid chemicals on the USS Kitty Hawk, are remanded due to insufficient evidence. A remand is required to verify the Veteran’s in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: The Board has jurisdiction over both issues of service connection and requires further development to verify the Veteran's in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
- Claimed conditions
- heart murmur, prostate disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19126713
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical strain, left and right hip disabilities (post-traumatic arthritis), erectile dysfunction, and SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ with an effective date of September 28, 2012. Other claims were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia) and remanded the claims for diabetes, hypertension, skin pigmentation, heart murmur, hip replacement, and left leg injury to include a left ankle and left knee condition due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a prostate disability, finding that the weight of the evidence does not support a current disability related to military service or secondary to a service-connected condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for prostate and heart disabilities as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and the conditions were not shown to be related to service on a direct basis.
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