The Veteran's cause of death was a combination of cardiac disease, hypertension, lipoidemia, and a prior coronary artery bypass surgery. The Appellant is requesting service connection for the causes of her son’s pending claims, which were not adjudicated before his death.
The deciding factor: The RO committed a duty to assist error in failing to adjudicate the Veteran's pending claims prior to denying the cause of death claim.
- Claimed conditions
- joint pain, muscle pain with fatigue, respiratory condition, acquired psychiatric disorder manifested by sleep disturbances, cardiovascular disease to include coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- A20019001
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 A20019001.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's respiratory condition, including COPD, is remanded due to errors in obtaining SSA records and an inadequate TERA memo. The Board finds the AOJ erred by not attempting to obtain relevant SSA records and by relying on an incomplete TERA memo.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims of service connection for attention deficit disorder and joint pain due to his death during the appeal process.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety, depression, brittleness of teeth, chronic headaches, joint pain, and a respiratory condition are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
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