The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in its previous decision, including failing to address the significance of the Veteran's in-service ECG findings and not obtaining opinions for direct service connection. The case is now returned for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board failed to adequately consider the significance of the Veteran’s in-service ECG findings and did not obtain an opinion on whether the abnormal mitral valve disability was related to service or a pre-existing condition.
- Claimed conditions
- abnormal mitral valve
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20032146
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 20032146.
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, abnormal mitral valve, arteriosclerotic heart disease, and arrhythmia were granted service connection as direct service connection. The effective date is not specified.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for chronic bronchitis, chronic sinusitis, and abnormal mitral valve due to outstanding treatment records and further examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for abnormal mitral valve, to include as secondary to congestive heart failure, is dismissed. The claim for service connection for a sleep disorder has been reopened and the appeal is granted. The appeal for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for asthma including pulmonary hypertension (previously rated as pulmonary hypertension with fatigue) is dismissed. The appeal for service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to service-connected heart disease, is remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an abnormal mitral valve, finding that it did not begin during active service or is otherwise related to a disease or injury incurred in service. The Board also found that the abnormal mitral valve was not secondary to his service-connected chronic adjustment-like disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood.
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