The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease or coronary artery disease due to exposure to chemicals and toxins. The case is remanded for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's CAD began during active service, is related to an incident of service, or began within one year after discharge from active service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence submitted by the appellant raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim and thus reopened the claim. However, the case must be remanded for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's CAD is related to his military service or exposure to toxins.
- Claimed conditions
- Arteriosclerotic heart disease, Coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19170326
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 19170326.
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
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The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition was granted with an effective date of August 1, 2019. The decision is based on evidence showing exposure to diesel and gas fuel during service.
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The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since September 27, 2010. Additionally, he is in receipt of a 60 percent disability rating for coronary artery disease, which meets the criteria for SMC at the housebound rate.
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