The Board has remanded the Veteran's cause of death and DIC benefits claims due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between his service-connected conditions and his death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is an unresolved question about whether the effects of the Veteran’s in-service illnesses, including scrub typhus and malaria, contributed substantially or materially to his congestive heart failure or coronary artery disease which caused his death.
- Claimed conditions
- scrub typhus, malaria
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19196713
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 19196713.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an increased disability evaluation of 100 percent for service-connected malaria, finding the evidence to be in approximate equipoise as to whether the Veteran's malaria was active during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malaria, including residuals, as there is no current diagnosis of malaria or residuals.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for malaria as there was no evidence of active malaria or any current residuals affecting a bodily system.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for malaria as new and relevant evidence was not submitted to support a currently diagnosed disability.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.