The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records and a need for further development regarding the Veteran's cause of death.
The deciding factor: Further development is needed to verify the Veteran’s exposure to chemical warfare during service, which could impact his claim for service connection for the cause of his death.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiac dysrhythmia, congenital narrowing of the left anterior descending coronary artery
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20032843
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 20032843.
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 service connection claims for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, hypertension (secondary to coronary artery disease), shortness of breath (secondary to coronary artery disease), valvular heart disease (secondary to coronary artery disease), and cardiac dysrhythmia (secondary to coronary artery disease) are all granted due to exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents at U-Tapao base in Thailand, which is considered presumptive for ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, type II.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service-connected burial benefits, finding that his death was not caused by a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of death and the need for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his cause of death, finding no evidence linking his causes of death to his active duty service.,The Board also denied DIC benefits and accrued benefits claims due to lack of pending claims at the time of the Veteran's death.
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