The Veteran's hypertension must be remanded due to inadequate medical opinions provided in the previous VA examinations. The Board instructed a new examiner to provide an opinion regarding whether the hypertension is related to service, specifically Vietnam exposure, and if it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus and/or coronary artery disease.
The deciding factor: The remand was due to inadequate medical opinions provided in previous VA examinations that did not consider all relevant evidence of record, including medical literature submitted by the Veteran regarding the link between hypertension, type II diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease; private treatment records showing suspected diabetes mellitus in May 2003 and a myocardial infarction in August 2004; and the 2008 NAS update which concluded that there was 'limited or suggestive evidence of an association' between hypertension and herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19190854
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19190854.
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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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