The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and for further development regarding service connection for cause of death and SMC for accrued benefits purposes. The appellant is seeking service connection for the Veteran's death, which may be related to his service-connected disabilities, and a higher level of Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) for their helpless child.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the medical records are incomplete and need to be supplemented with private treatment records from Oconee Regional Medical Center. The appellant is also seeking SMC for their helpless child based on an informal claim received by the AOJ in January 2013, which was pending at the time of the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Adult Failure to Thrive, Pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20022259
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 20022259.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that none of the listed causes were related to his military service and no service-connected disability contributed to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death. The evidence showed well-controlled heart symptoms prior to death and no causal relationship between anxiety and cardiopulmonary disease or renal failure.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 were not met.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain an adequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cause of death, specifically addressing toxic exposures during service and submitted medical literature.
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