The Veteran's death was attributed to COPD and heart failure. The appellant contends the cause of death qualifies for presumptive service connection based on the Veteran’s service in Vietnam aboard naval vessels, or due to asbestos exposure during his 18-year naval career. Additional development is needed to verify the Veteran's presence within the territorial sea of the Republic of Vietnam and to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of COPD.
The deciding factor: The appellant needs additional information about the Veteran’s service dates aboard specific vessels in Vietnam, as well as verification of his exposure to asbestos during his naval career.
- Claimed conditions
- COPD, ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19131698
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 grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for COPD, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's respiratory condition and his military service, including exposure to Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's ischemic heart disease, as the previous opinions were found inadequate.
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