The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions were the proximate cause or aggravated his death. The claims for increase are also referred.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address whether the service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated the Veteran’s liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, acute renal failure, and metabolic encephalopathy beyond their natural progression.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, onychomycosis of the bilateral feet, ischemic heart disease, bilateral lower extremity peripheral artery disease, carcinoma of the liver, cirrhosis of the liver, acute renal failure, metabolic encephalopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2020
- Citation
- 20014334
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 20014334.
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 remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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