The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient consideration of a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for a VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's cause of death was related to service, including exposure at high altitude.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary thromboembolism, deep vein thrombosis of lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066716
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 found that the veteran's pulmonary thromboembolism was not caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill or error in judgment on the part of VA health care providers and was a reasonably foreseeable event.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.