The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's heart disability and Alzheimer's dementia are related to his in-service herbicide agent exposure, which could affect his claim for service connection for the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is not enough evidence to determine if the Veteran’s heart disabilities or Alzheimer's dementia were caused by his in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Heart Disability","types":["Ischemic","Non-Ischemic"],"diagnoses":["Coronary artery disease (September 2009)","Non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (February 2010)"]}, {"condition_name":"Alzheimer's Dementia"}
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184374
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 claim for a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's left eye condition is related to service, as it found that the condition did not preexist service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of August 10, 2022, for the grant of service connection for sinusitis based on the PACT Act.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are related to in-service herbicide agent exposure.
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