The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient etiological opinions regarding the Veteran's non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, hemolytic anemia and renal failure. The claims are related back as they were diagnosed during the appeal period.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient opinion on the relationship between the disabilities and service exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, hemolytic anemia, renal failure
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002687
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20002687.
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 has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for further medical opinions regarding the Veteran's chronic kidney disease.
- Granted
The Veteran's non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, AICD, and heart arrhythmias are found to be related to his military service due to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. The appeal is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's causes of death, including Agent Orange exposure and contaminated water exposure at Camp Lejeune. The appellant is free to highlight post-decisional evidence for the benefit of the examiner.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the severance of service connected death benefits was improper and grants the appeal.
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