The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of rheumatic fever and hypertension/hypertensive heart disease due to inadequate examination reports by a family medicine physician, Dr. N.E.G., who did not provide sufficient clarity on the etiology and pathogenesis of the Veteran's conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to clarify whether the Veteran suffered from or had any symptoms of rheumatic heart disease, which is necessary for establishing service connection for residuals of rheumatic fever in the form of mitral regurgitation. The examiner also did not distinguish between the Veteran’s mitral regurgitation and hypertensive heart disease.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of rheumatic fever, hypertensive heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20040597
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20040597.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and other conditions, rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to July 21, 2025.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertensive heart disease as secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's attorney has withdrawn the appeal for service connection for hypertensive heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertensive heart disease, chest condition, left arm condition, right arm condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder are all granted.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.