The Veteran's claim for service connection for sick sinus syndrome with implanted cardiac pacemaker, to include as due to herbicide exposure, is being remanded. The Board notes that the Veteran served in Vietnam and was presumed exposed to Agent Orange during his service. However, the examiner did not provide an opinion on whether the Veteran’s condition is related to his service or herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a definitive opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's sick sinus syndrome with implanted cardiac pacemaker and his in-service herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- sick sinus syndrome, implanted cardiac pacemaker
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193618
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 19193618.
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 squamous cell cancer and denied the claims for an earlier effective date, service connection for implanted cardiac pacemaker, and several other conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease), with implanted cardiac pacemaker, supraventricular arrhythmia, congestive heart failure to obtain a new medical opinion addressing the Veteran's cold weather exposure during military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a heart disability, as there was no evidence of an intent to file a claim prior to August 7, 2023, and the Nehmer provisions did not apply.
- Partly granted
The veteran's appeal for TDIU was granted for the period before April 6, 2024, but not after due to a combined 100 percent rating.
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