The Veteran's death was due to a pulmonary embolism. The appellant seeks service connection for this condition based on exposure to herbicides, specifically Agent Orange. The Board has ordered additional development including obtaining the Veteran’s military personnel records and verifying his exposure to herbicide agents. A VA medical opinion is needed to determine if there is a relationship between the Veteran's death and his in-service exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: The Board found that while the Veteran did not have one of the diseases presumptively associated with herbicide exposure, service connection may also be granted for a disease claimed as due to herbicide exposure on a direct service connection basis if any such exposure is verified.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary Embolism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186465
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 decided that there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran's death was caused by service-connected conditions, and thus remanded for further development. The case will be reviewed again with a focus on verifying any potential exposure to herbicides in service and obtaining medical opinions regarding the cause of the Veteran's pulmonary embolism.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's pulmonary embolism and whether it is related to service-connected prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not service-connected for burial purposes due to the absence of a service-connected disability at the time of his death. The claim for accrued benefits was also denied as there were no pending claims or unpaid benefits at the time of his death.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was granted, with the effective date set at March 30, 2017. The decision also dismissed appeals regarding other claims.
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