The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and potential service connection for Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran's cause of death was listed as acute respiratory distress syndrome, with secondary causes being acute interstitial pneumonia and hypoxemia.
The deciding factor: Insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death and potential service connection for Agent Orange exposure
- Claimed conditions
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Acute interstitial pneumonia, Hypoxemia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19188809
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 19188809.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obesity hypoventilation syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), hypoxemia, and pulmonary hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder with depressive disorder unspecified. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a respiratory disability, a sleep disability, and a heart disability were remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to ischemic heart disease due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The condition was deemed a contributory cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his respiratory conditions were not related to his service-connected PTSD.
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