The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected conditions and their contribution to his death. The appellant is seeking service connection for cause of death, but the Veteran was not service-connected for the causes that led to his death.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address whether the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities contributed to or aggravated the causes of his death (coronary artery disease and cerebral vascular accident).
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of cold injury, right foot, residuals of cold injury, left foot, osteoarthritis, first metatarsophalangeal joint of right foot, osteoarthritis, first metatarsophalangeal joint of left foot, Raynaud’s Syndrome, bilateral foot, frozen feet, bilateral
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19190308
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 19190308.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, right hip degenerative joint disease and rheumatoid arthritis with acetabular cyst status post right total hip replacement, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, fever sores, and a compromised immune system, as the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeals for service connection due to untimely filings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for special monthly pension (SMP) based on the need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status is remanded to ensure that the appellant receives every possible consideration, including a new VA examination.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip osteoarthritis and right hip osteoarthritis as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected knee disabilities, but denied service connection for a variety of other conditions including bilateral ankle, shoulder, foot, mood disorder, tinnitus, hyperlipidemia, and knees.
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