The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran served within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam, which would affect his claim for service connection.,A medical opinion is required to determine whether the Veteran's current heart disability falls under the definition of ischemic heart disease in 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran served within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam, which is a requirement for presumptive service connection under the Agent Orange Act.,A medical opinion is needed to clarify whether the Veteran's current heart disability falls under the definition of ischemic heart disease in 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Heart disability (cor pulmonale, chronic (right heart failure) and atrial fibrillation), Diabetes mellitus type II, Peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19149866
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 19149866.
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 diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's left shoulder disability and service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, both secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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