The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and verifying the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange. The cause of death is being considered based on presumed Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's death was due to anoxic encephalopathy but also noted other conditions like diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and larynx cancer which may have been related to his service. The cause of death is being remanded for further investigation into whether these conditions were caused by Agent Orange exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- anoxic encephalopathy, diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic dyslipidemia, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure (CHF), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21063255
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 21063255.
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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