The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical examination, and requires a new one that complies with the December 2019 remand directives.
The deciding factor: The June 2020 VA examiner did not comment on the December 2019 statement from the Veteran's treating physician’s assistant regarding possible aggravation of heart condition by military service, and thus is inadequate.
- Claimed conditions
- bicuspid aortic valve disease, aortic root dilatation, aortic stenosis, concentric left ventricular hypertrophy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20074480
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 as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for a heart condition was dismissed due to lack of timely notice of disagreement and new and material evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a heart disability, including bicuspid aortic valve disease, systolic murmur, coronary artery disease, and aortic stenosis, due to an incomplete medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to properly decide the claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and addressing the etiology of the Veteran's aortic valve stenosis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension, end stage renal disease with hemodialysis graft, peripheral artery disease, bilateral leg amputations, coronary artery disease (CAD) with myocardial infarction and cardiomyopathy, aortic stenosis, and residuals of pulmonary embolism.,VA burial allowance based on a service-connected death was also denied.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.