The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's Crohn's disease, which contributed to his death, was related to his exposure to Agent Orange during service.
The deciding factor: The cause of death is believed to be bacterial endocarditis and its complications, but there is uncertainty about the relationship between the Veteran’s Crohn's disease and his exposure to herbicide agents in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bacterial endocarditis, Cardiac valve dysfunction, Crohn's disease
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19195708
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19195708.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected Crohn's disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and ileocecal valve scarring.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection must be remanded due to inadequate examinations and opinions. The Veteran's skin disorder, respiratory disorder, Crohn's disease, eye disorder, and migraines are all being reviewed again with new medical evaluations.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's Crohn's disease is rated at 60 percent, effective from the date of the rating decision on appeal.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment that are consistent with his education and occupational experience, granting entitlement to TDIU.
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