The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding in-service stressors, Agent Orange exposure, and private treatment records. The Veteran's cause of death is also remanded.
The deciding factor: Insufficient evidence was provided to verify the Veteran’s reported in-service stressor(s), purported Agent Orange exposure, and private treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- psychiatric disorder (to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)), ischemic heart disease, mantle cell cancer, diabetes mellitus with retinal involvement, left lower extremity neuropathy (secondary to diabetes mellitus), right lower extremity neuropathy (secondary to diabetes mellitus)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069745
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.
- Partly granted
The Board grants service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus began during his period of active duty service. The claims for ischemic heart disease, aortic valve replacement, status post aortic stenosis, and peripheral vascular disease with popliteal aneurysm are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's ischemic heart disease, as the previous opinions were found inadequate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of a heart condition, to include ischemic heart disease and/or cardiomyopathy due to cardiac amyloidosis, for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected cardiovascular disability, but denied a higher rating from December 15, 2022, through September 14, 2025.
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