The Board has decided that there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides while serving in Korea, and thus service connection cannot be granted based on a presumption. However, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease can be service connected on a direct basis. The case is being remanded for further development of the exposure claim.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to request research from JSRRC regarding herbicide exposure due to lack of specific timeframe provided by the appellant.
- Claimed conditions
- atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20001298
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected cardiovascular disability, but denied a higher rating from December 15, 2022, through September 14, 2025.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a temporary rating of 100 percent for his heart disability from March 1, 2021 to June 1, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 60 percent prior to and after this period was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease based on the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.
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