The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a stroke, hypertension, and an enlarged heart due to insufficient evidence in the December 2016 VA examiner's opinion regarding the relationship between his military service and these conditions. The appeal is also remanded for obtaining additional medical records.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the December 2016 VA examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay claims of observable symptoms during service, including facial drooping and numbness, which are consistent with a stroke. The examiner also did not account for the Reserve Component records from June 2007.
- Claimed conditions
- stroke, hypertension, enlarged heart
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2021
- Citation
- 21005079
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 21005079.
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 hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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