The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the service connection for arterial hypertension. The Veteran's condition is being examined again with a focus on whether it is aggravated by his service-connected schizoaffective disorder.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examiner did not apply the correct legal standard in addressing the secondary service connection theory of entitlement, specifically failing to consider that permanent worsening is not required for aggravation under 38 C.F.R. § 3.310.
- Claimed conditions
- arterial hypertension
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20053303
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 20053303.
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 claims for entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death and entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C. §1151, as there was no evidence that any of the listed conditions were related to the Veteran's active service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary fibrosis, congestive heart failure, and arterial hypertension were not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was caused by ischemic heart disease, which is a recognized presumptive disease for exposure to herbicide agents. However, the appellant did not have any pending claims at the time of the Veteran's death and thus is not eligible for accrued benefits.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment since May 31, 2009.,The earliest date the criteria for Dependents' Educational Assistance eligibility was met was on May 31, 2009.
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