The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding direct service connection and aggravation of pre-existing heart disorder. The Veteran's death was caused by hypertensive cardiac vascular disease, but there is no clear evidence that it was aggravated during service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an addendum opinion is needed to address whether the Veteran’s cause of death (hypertensive cardiovascular disease) was incurred in or related to his service, including herbicide exposure. Additionally, a determination on aggravation of pre-existing heart disorder must be made.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute pulmonary edema, Cardiac arrhythmia, Hypertensive cardiac vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20021026
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 20021026.
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 granted an initial rating of 70 percent for a psychiatric disability but denied service connection for cardiac arrhythmia, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, dermatosis, and sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for cardiac arrhythmia, functional abdominal pain syndrome/abdominal pain and bloating, other than IBS or GERD, and respiratory insufficiency (dyspnea) due to duty to assist errors in the VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to correct duty-to-assist errors, including verifying Persian Gulf service and obtaining additional medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis, while remanding the claim for service connection for cardiac arrhythmia.
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