The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for loss of left eye, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with coronary artery disease, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (heart disability), valvular heart disease, and supraventricular arrhythmia due to additional development being necessary.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the latest VA examination provided was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay assertions of continuity of symptoms in his analysis. The examiner also failed to show consideration for the Veteran’s contentions regarding the onset, continuation and progression of his heart symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of left eye, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with coronary artery disease, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (heart disability), valvular heart disease, supraventricular arrhythmia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20069414
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a 100 percent rating for valvular heart disease based on MET testing showing that at a workload of 3 METs or less, the condition results in fatigue and breathlessness.
- 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 the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides during his service.
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