The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a pilonidal cyst, sulfa allergy, iodine allergy, frostbite of the bilateral lower and upper extremities, heart disability, pneumonia, and an acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD), all potentially related to herbicide agent exposure. The Board also requested additional medical records from prison and hospital visits.
The deciding factor: The claims are remanded due to incomplete medical records and the need for further opinion regarding the Veteran's diagnoses and service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- pilonidal cyst, sulfa allergy, iodine allergy, frostbite of the bilateral lower extremities, frostbite of the bilateral upper extremities, heart disability, pneumonia, psychiatric disability (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2020
- Citation
- 20031384
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 20031384.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective August 10, 2022. The heart disability was granted secondary to the hypertension.,An initial rating of 30% for the heart disability was granted in May 2023 and increased to 60% since October 22, 2024.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to a lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's claims for service connection are not currently addressed.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for pneumonia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and asthma as causes of death. The evidence did not support finding that these conditions were related to his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a heart disability, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
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