The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and stroke residuals due to incomplete medical opinions regarding the etiology of his conditions. The VA must obtain additional treatment records, particularly from January 2002 and July 2011, and provide an addendum opinion addressing the onset and relationship between the Veteran's hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and stroke.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the existing medical opinions were incomplete and did not address all relevant factors, including the Veteran's history of cardiovascular issues prior to his current diagnoses.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), Stroke
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21023703
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 21023703.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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