The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient evidence to determine whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions or exposure to herbicides in service caused his death. The Board also noted that the Veteran was not service-connected for any disability during his lifetime.
- Claimed conditions
- Respiratory Failure, Pulmonary Hypertension, Right Heart Failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069794
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (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 20069794.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary hypertension is remanded due to inconsistencies in the VA examination findings. The examiner must clarify whether the Veteran has a current diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension and determine if it is related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of CUE in the December 2005 rating decision that assigned a 60 percent initial disability rating for cardiomyopathy with pulmonary hypertension, finding no clear and unmistakable error.
- Granted
The Board restored service connection for pulmonary hypertension as the AOJ's severance decision was improper due to a lack of clear and unmistakable error.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease with angina, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation have been granted effective from the date of receipt of claims. Pulmonary hypertension has also been granted as secondary to these conditions.
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