The Board has remanded the cases for additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's diagnosed abdominal aortic aneurysm and pulmonary vascular disease are related to herbicide agent exposure in service, as well as for any other relevant issues.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner is requested to determine whether it is at least as likely as not that currently diagnosed abdominal aortic aneurysm and pulmonary vascular disease were incurred in or caused by active service, to include as due to the Veteran’s conceded exposure to herbicide agents while serving in the Republic of Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- abdominal aortic aneurysm, pulmonary vascular disease
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20026793
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 20026793.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board finds that the Veteran may have been exposed to toxic substances during his service, including RF radiation and asbestos. However, VA did not obtain an opinion regarding the relationship between these exposures and the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for the Veteran's abdominal aortic aneurysm as secondary to his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the original grant of service connection was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for abdominal aortic aneurysm, left lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, right lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, and erectile dysfunction were denied as there was no prior claim filed before August 15, 2022.,The Veteran's claims for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ were also denied as there was no prior claim filed before August 15, 2022.,Eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under 38 USC chapter 35 was denied as the Veteran did not have a permanent and total service-connected disability prior to August 15, 2022.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's abdominal aortic aneurysm, specifically addressing whether it is at least as likely as not caused by exposure to herbicide agents and asbestos during service.
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