The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his heart condition and hypertension, as well as non-compliance with prior remand instructions. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to determine if his heart condition is related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam and whether he can secure and maintain employment due to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the medical opinions were inadequate and did not consider recent NAS updates on hypertension and Agent Orange exposure, which may indicate a positive association between hypertension and herbicide exposure. The Veteran's TDIU claim also requires an updated examination considering his current employment history and PTSD symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- heart condition, hypertensive heart disease, thoracic aortic aneurysm without rupture
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20064639
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a heart condition to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA clinician regarding whether the Veteran's current heart condition is related to service, including in-service treatment for hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for GERD, a heart condition, hypertension, a kidney condition, and obstructive sleep apnea as there is no evidence of current disabilities related to these conditions or that they are etiologically linked to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new medical opinion to address whether the Appellant's heart condition had onset during his period of ACDUTRA service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
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