The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development regarding the relationship between the Veteran's hypertension and service, specifically his presumed in-service herbicide exposure. The VA must provide a new medical opinion addressing these issues.
The deciding factor: The VA failed to address the updated epidemiological evidence from the National Academy of Sciences that upgraded hypertension to the 'sufficient' category based on positive association with herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive heart disease, cause of death
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19190185
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 19190185.
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 heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a clarifying opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused his death through obesity as an intermediate step.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including a bilateral eye disability and cardiovascular conditions, based on the Veteran's in-service occupational exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and accrued benefits due to pending asbestos exposure development.
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