The Veteran's cardiac condition (claimed as sinus bradycardia, sinus arrythmia, AV block and left ventricular hypertrophy) is remanded due to the lack of a VA examination. The Board finds that an examination should be conducted which addresses any possible nexus between the Veteran’s currently diagnosed atrial fibrillation and his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no VA examination conducted, which is necessary to determine if the Veteran's cardiac condition is related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- sinus bradycardia, sinus arrythmia, AV block, left ventricular hypertrophy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19140253
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 19140253.
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 has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's heart condition is related to service, specifically his combat service in Afghanistan. The AOJ must obtain a new VA examination and provide an adequate medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ventricular hypertrophy and Fabry's disease as secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, and will consider service connection for heart disorders based on direct evidence or secondary to hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in obtaining relevant private treatment records and VA opinions, which were not sufficient for a decision on service connection.
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