The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete development regarding service connection for restrictive pericarditis, status post-pericardiectomy. The Veteran's representative has also raised a new theory of entitlement based on asbestos exposure in service.
The deciding factor: Insufficient medical opinion addressing whether PTSD aggravated the pericarditis or if any confirmed asbestos exposure is related to the condition.
- Claimed conditions
- restrictive pericarditis, status post-pericardiectomy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20035056
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 20035056.
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 restrictive pericarditis, finding no evidence of a direct or secondary relationship to the Veteran's military service or his service-connected diabetes and ischemic heart disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for restrictive pericarditis, status post-pericardiectomy on a secondary basis to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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