The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current heart disorders are directly related to herbicide exposure during service in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the current pericardial effusion and hypertension with cardiomegaly were caused by or etiologically related to herbicide exposure during service in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- pericardial effusion, hypertension with cardiomegaly
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2020
- Citation
- 20072881
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (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 20072881.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for pulmonary heart disease, non-ischemic heart disease, congenital heart defects, pericardial effusion, and pulmonary fibrosis due to new and relevant evidence having been secured.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for pleural effusion, pericarditis, chronic, lung changes, left, lung scarring, left, and pericardial effusion to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him wheelchair bound and in need of nursing home care, regular aid and attendance to prepare his meals, assist with bathing and hygiene needs, and manage medication. The Board has granted special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance but dismissed the claim for special monthly compensation at the housebound rate as moot.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a compensable disability rating for pericardial effusion due to latent tuberculosis (claimed as pleural effusion) is dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for lung condition with scarring (claimed as lung condition due to removal of fiberglass and lung (latent TB)) is denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.