The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion to determine if the VA's decision to discontinue heart medication in June 2008 caused or aggravated any additional disability of co-morbidities (polysubstance abuse, hypothyroidism and Hepatitis C).
The deciding factor: The examiner needs to address whether the VA’s physician’s decision to withdraw the Veteran from heart medication in June 2008 actually caused or aggravated any additional disability of the mentioned co-morbidities due to an event not reasonably foreseeable.
- Claimed conditions
- enlarged heart, heart failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2020
- Citation
- 20071202
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 20071202.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and heart failure have been granted on a presumptive basis due to exposure to herbicide agents during service. The claim for glaucoma has been denied as not related to service-connected conditions or in-service herbicide agent exposure.,Service connection for heart failure is granted secondary to service-connected coronary artery disease.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal seeking an effective date prior to January 23, 2014, for the assignment of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed due to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The remaining claims of service connection for hypertension, kidney disease, COPD, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, vertigo, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's enlarged heart is directly related to service or secondary to his hypertension.
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