The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected conditions and his cause of death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an opinion is necessary regarding whether coronary artery disease, which was presumed due to herbicide agent exposure in service, caused or aggravated congestive heart failure, respiratory issues, and diabetes mellitus, type II. The opinions are also needed to determine if any of these conditions contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, respiratory failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20002181
Veterans Law Judge
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 20002181.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.
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