The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to his active duty service, including conceded in-service exposure to herbicides. The matter will be reconsidered after these opinions are obtained.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an addendum opinion was needed on whether the Veteran's hypertension is related to his military service and conceded herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, Acute renal failure, Hypertension (HTN)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19130217
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a stomach disorder, HTN, and a heart condition due to the need for additional evidence.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as there was no evidence supporting a compensable rating or service connection for any of the claimed conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, a 20 percent rating for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and a 10 percent rating for hypertension. The claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied.
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