The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his discharge status.
The deciding factor: The decision was not final as it has been pending since before a March 2018 rating decision, and further review of the nature of the Veteran’s discharge is required.
- Claimed conditions
- mitral valve replacement, status post endocarditis with splenic infarction (heart disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20067475
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20067475.
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 service connection for mitral valve replacement, finding that the condition did not have its onset in service and has not been chronic or continuous since service separation. The Board also found no evidence of a causal relationship between the Veteran's PTSD and his heart disability.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to their grant in an earlier decision, leaving no unresolved issues.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease, status post myocardial infraction and mitral valve replacement (also claimed as heart condition) as secondary to medications taken for his service-connected seizure disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claim of service connection for mitral valve replacement is reopened, and the case is remanded for a VA examination to address whether PTSD aggravated the condition. The claim of service connection for tinnitus is also remanded for a VA examination. The claim for an increased rating for PTSD is also remanded, as well as the issue regarding an earlier effective date for the 50% disability rating for PTSD.
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