The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's National Guard service dates and their relation to his health conditions, particularly hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
The deciding factor: The AOJ failed to verify the specific dates of active duty or ACDUTRA/INACDUTRA service during 2006-2007, which is necessary for determining if these periods are related to the Veteran's cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertensive disease, hypertensive heart disease, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20067000
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including a bilateral eye disability and cardiovascular conditions, based on the Veteran's in-service occupational exposures.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of death, determining that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's fatal conditions were caused by his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and accrued benefits due to pending asbestos exposure development.
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