The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further analysis regarding whether the service-connected disabilities, exposure to Agent Orange, or underlying psychiatric disability related to service caused the Veteran's death.
The deciding factor: New and material evidence has been received that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death.
- Claimed conditions
- Cardiopulmonary arrest, Syme amputation of the left foot, Shell fragment wounds
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20037207
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 20037207.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that there is no competent evidence linking any principal or contributory cause of his death to his service.
- Denied
The Veteran's cause of death, listed as cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to myocardial infraction, was not service-connected. The Board found no evidence linking the heart condition to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in duty to assist, specifically regarding toxic exposure exposures during service and their impact on the Veteran's cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) based upon service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death to his military service.
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