The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to conflicting opinions on whether his aortic valve disorder is related to his military service, specifically Agent Orange exposure. The decision also notes that scars are inextricably intertwined with the aortic valve disorder claim and must be remanded as well.
The deciding factor: The Board found conflicting medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's aortic valve disorder and its relationship to his military service, including potential Agent Orange exposure. The decision also notes that scars are inextricably intertwined with the aortic valve disorder claim.
- Claimed conditions
- aortic valve disorder, scars
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19148338
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (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 19148338.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted an effective date of April 14, 1972 for the award of service connection for scars and denied a compensable disability rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's staph infection is granted service connection. The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral feet condition, ED, and scars related to his now service-connected staph infection.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the May 17, 2025, Board Appeal request was not timely filed with respect to the November 29, 2019, rating decision that granted service connection for left upper extremity radiculopathy and denied service connection for arthritis, athlete's foot, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a left ankle disability, and scars.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for compartment syndrome of the bilateral lower extremities, reduced the rating for painful scars of the bilateral lower extremities, and denied service connection for various conditions. The decision was not timely filed.
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