The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether arteriosclerotic heart disease is caused or aggravated by service-connected hypertension.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was unclear and did not clearly address the potential relationship between the service connected hypertension and the Veteran’s current diagnosis of arteriosclerotic heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- arteriosclerotic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19160602
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 19160602.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate initial 20 percent rating for right knee meniscal tear based on limitation of knee flexion, and an initial 60 percent rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease. It also granted TDIU due to service-connected residuals of prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and higher ratings for his service-connected conditions, as well as a TDIU.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart disability, to include arteriosclerotic heart disease, CAD, valvular heart disease, ventricular arrhythmia, and superventricular arrhythmia, based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Okinawa.
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