The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new one is needed to determine if the Veteran's diagnosed coronary artery disease had its onset in service.
The deciding factor: The July 2016 VA examiner did not discuss the continued complaints of left chest pain after service as evidenced by private treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- organic heart disease, chest pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20007073
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (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 20007073.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to posttraumatic headache, insomnia, left ankle condition, lumbosacral strain (lower back), and chest pain. The appeal was dismissed as the Veteran requested withdrawal of these claims.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of chest pain, ear condition, vaginosis, syncope, thyroid condition, and jaw condition have been dismissed due to non-jurisdictional procedural defects. The Board has also remanded the claims for service connection on the issues of occipital neuralgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for further development.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for TBI, back strain, chest pain, foot pain, and tendonitis as there is no evidence of disease or injury incurred during active duty or training.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.