The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging for a VA examination to address whether the Veteran's current heart disability is related to service or secondary to his right hip/pelvis disability. The low back disability issue is also remanded with similar instructions.
The deciding factor: The Board found new and material evidence has been received, thus reopening the claim for service connection for a heart disability. However, due to the lack of definitive medical nexus opinions regarding the relationship between current heart disabilities (other than ischemic heart disease) and service or secondary to his right hip/pelvis disability, further development is required.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disability, low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068591
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 claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, low back disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or illness related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a heart disability as the evidence did not support that it began during active service or was related to an in-service injury.
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