The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions caused or contributed to his death. The VA must provide addendum opinions addressing these issues.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to clarify their previous opinions on the cause of death and the impact of service-connected conditions on the Veteran’s ability to resist other diseases.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, diabetes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19162989
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 19162989.
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 granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's ischemic heart disease, as the previous opinions were found inadequate.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.