The Veteran's heart condition is remanded for a VA examination to determine if it was caused by or related to in-service radiation exposure. The examiner must also assess whether the current heart condition is related to any verified in-service heart procedure/treatment and to fungus exposure.
The deciding factor: The claim requires an opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's current heart condition and in-service radiation exposure, as well as any verified in-service heart procedures or treatment, and potential fungus exposure. The examiner must provide opinions regarding these relationships based on a review of the claims file and the Veteran's lay statements.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, endocarditis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Ionizing radiation
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19156692
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 19156692.
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 a duty to assist error, and will consider service connection for heart disorders based on direct evidence or secondary to hypertension.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for shortness of breath, endocarditis, lipoma, and skin cancer as the Veteran withdrew his appeal. The claim for peripheral arterial disease was denied due to a lack of evidence supporting a current diagnosis. Service connection for a back condition was also denied due to insufficient evidence linking it to service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome/leukemia, anemia, and hemochromatosis with effective dates of May 7, 2018, June 27, 2019, and June 27, 2019 respectively. The Board also denied service connection for endocarditis, myocarditis, and obstructive sleep apnea.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension and denied it for ischemic heart disease. Several other claims were remanded for further development.
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